Bush: Let's change course....LOL

[Jamnt]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2393750,00...

America ponders cutting Iraq in three
Sarah Baxter, Washington
AN independent commission set up by Congress with the approval of President George W Bush may recommend carving up Iraq into three highly autonomous regions, according to well informed sources.

The Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by James Baker, the former US secretary of state, is preparing to report after next month’s congressional elections amid signs that sectarian violence and attacks on coalition forces are spiralling out of control. The conflict is claiming the lives of 100 civilians a day and bombings have reached record levels.

The Baker commission has grown increasingly interested in the idea of splitting the Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish regions of Iraq as the only alternative to what Baker calls “cutting and running” or “staying the course”.

“The Kurds already effectively have their own area,” said a source close to the group. “The federalisation of Iraq is going to take place one way or another. The challenge for the Iraqis is how to work that through.”

And just how the FUCK do the divide Bagdad into three? Or even two... Let's flip a fuckin coin...

[TomInTib]

1. This was the plan going in to the invasion. I saw them drawn up.

I actually saw the drawn plans in a conference room at Purvin&Gates, Houston. Courtesy of Mr Blake Eskew.

[Kutjara]

2. We could rename it 'Berlin' and build a wall.

Sounds like BushCo are getting ready to implement some good old fashioned Khruschev-era policies.

[karlrschneider]

3. Well, we have the butcher, the Baker, the quagmire maker...

but who is which? What a god-awful fucking mess.

[John Gauger]

4. Good, that's what we should do

The borders of Iraq where drawn up in 1924 with civil war in mind. The rationale was, if they are shooting at each other, they can't shoot at British troops. Didn't work then and doesn't work now. We should draw up borders with preventing civil wars in mind.

[karlrschneider]

6. That was then, this is now with OIL in the mix.

There's the rub.

[TomInTib]

13. See my reply #1.

Purvin&Gates, Houston, were the architects of this plan.

[karlrschneider]

19. I don't doubt that at all however I'm not familiar with that firm.

Were they connected to Baker & Botts? It's hard to keep up without a scorecard, ya know...

[TomInTib]

23. Oh, yeah, they are connected to the max. nt

[John Gauger]

20. No, the reason Britain was in Iraq was because of the oil

In 1924, Winston Churchill, along with British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, drew up the borders with the oil in mind. That's why they wanted a civil war. They wanted to focus on the oil while the Arabs and Kurds focused on killing each other. Plus he wanted to make sure that the Iraq-Turky border ran exactly through the middle of Kurdistan, because the Kurds are so dangerous. Had to keep them seperated.

[Thickasabrick]

12. We shouldn't do shit - I think we have done enough. This really

isn't our country to divide up like this.

[alittlelark]

5. Turkey will not accept an independant Kurd nation

at their border.

[karlrschneider]

9. Neither will the Sunni 'stuck in the middle'...

[John Gauger]

21. That's because they are afraid.

With good reason. The Kurds are pretty fucking dangerous. If they are unified, they will fuck up anybody who tries to fuck with their shit. For over a thousand years, they have been a thorn in the side of empire-builers. Saladin was a Kurd.

[SoCalDem]

7. President Humpty Dumpty has no plan...

This is the plan that will naturally occur...just as it did in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union..


People held together by a despot, almost always "seek their own level".. Sometimes they manage it peacefully, and sometimes...not..

Only another despot, willing to rule with an iron fist, can prevent it..

[Thickasabrick]

8. The way things are going, noone will be left in Bagdad...except

the dead bodies in the river.

[jseankil]

10. Finally some NEW ideas being brought forward

Because the course we are on now is not working. After Nov. elections if the the Dems take over expect more debate and other solutions to the Iraqi quagmire, if the Republicans maintain contol expect more of the same.

[Erika]

11. Iraq has been politically pieced together forever.

At one time they had a seaport now in Kuwait.

There is no such thing as an "Iraqi". They are tribes of different religious sects thrown together by the will of outside politics. They simply do not see themselves as one people. Saddam was the only one who could control most of them. Even he had no control of Northern Iraq.

[bullimiami]

14. so they think they can control or get cronies in charge of each partition

seperately. since making a puppet government out of the existing country isnt working that well.

news for bushco...
the 3 individual segments are still not going to want imperial control, they will want self determination.

the kurds have been fighting for it for years but an independent kurdistan will royally piss turkey off and wont sit so well with iran either.

the sunni hate us so forget making deals with them.

the shia are aligned with iran, so forget being pals with them.

once the infighting stops they will turn their sights directly and fully on the occupiers.

[mazzarro]

15. Isn't this against international convention?

Is there a provision against a conquering nation dismembering or inherently changing a conquered nation's form of government? Or is this convention also going to be swept aside, thus making the developing world more suspicious and distrustful of international organizations and agreements as being only vehicles of western control and manipulation of non-members of the privileged nations club?

[sandnsea]

16. More factions to fight each other

I think it's ridiculous. The problem is that WE are still deciding everything. Until the ME is put in front to lead the Iraqis to a peaceful solution, they are going to keep fighting the 'American puppet government'. By cutting it in 3, we just give them THREE puppet governments to fight.

[The_Casual_Observer]

17. Saddam didn't need to do this.

[pork medley]

18. partition would be an open invitation to genocide

[newyawker99]

26. Hi batwing!!

Welcome to DU!!

[Ravy]

22. Cut-up and Run? (n/t)

[alittlelark]

25. I like it !!!

[Arkham House]

24. Look how well it's worked in Jerusalem...