Last of the Combat Troops Leaving Iraq? – Only in your Dreams: The Colonization of Empire Continues

[kpete]

Last of the Combat Troops Leaving Iraq? – Only in your Dreams: The Colonization of Empire Continues

Certainly, the colonization of Iraq was one of the fastest and most efficient in history.

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 08/19/2010 - 8:43am.
* Guest Commentary
BILL NOXID FOR BUZZFLASH



Watching MSNBC’s coverage of ‘the last combat troops leaving Iraq’ for 3 hours reminded of a few brutal realities that still plague this country and this planet. The first being just how far this country remains from any semblance of reality. It’s the kind of delusional denial that truly can only be believed when witnessed from within. As Keith Olbermann was describing the cinematic quality of the “Strykers driving into your living room,” I could really think of only one thing – The aftermath of a 7.5 year all out United States operation to decimate a people and their society.

There’s no way to comprehend the scope and facets of this operation, because you would need a Pentagon for that. From the first day after initial conquest when the money disappeared from the banks and their record of civilization was decimated by the looting of their museums, it was like any other colonial conquest in history, except every excruciating moment of this one was on television. The following 7.5 years of the assimilation of a country went as diagrammed.

From control (denial) of power, water, and even seed monopolization, to re-education ‘schools,’ to monopolization of natural resources, to fostering drug addictions and self-perpetuating violence, etc., what took a hundred years to do to Native Americans was accomplished in under a decade. Quite an example of lessons learned from hundreds of years of colonization.

And in the name of all that is Holy, please do not delude yourself into believing this war is over. 50,000 troops will remain, an ‘unknowable’ number of contractors / mercenaries, and an embassy that makes the Vatican look like the summer home will remain. Certainly, the colonization of Iraq was one of the fastest and most efficient in history. It also needs to be the last.

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more:
http://blog.buzzflash.com/contributor/3341

[villager]

1. this commentary has already irked an unreccer...

...which must mean it raises salient points!

[Aramchek]

2. War is over, if you want it.

I guess you could go on saying it's a war until every Westerner exits Iraq.
But that wouldn't be the case.

There are no more active combat missions.
That is what makes a war.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. In this case...

the war is over even though some people don't want it.

[Aramchek]

5. I understand why the Neocons are upset, it was their baby

but it's hard to believe some Dems have invested themselves so deeply in anti-Obama sentiment that they won't even accept the end of a war when it's handed to them.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Meh.

It appears that some democrats were really against the war because they had good reasons to be against it, and some were just posers.

[anarch]

8. there was never any war

just an invasion and occupation. The occupation will continue indefinitely.

[Aramchek]

11. are we still occupying Germany and Japan?

because troops have been there since WWII

[jonnyblitz]

16. I wasn't aware the German and Japanese locals were attacking

our troops stationed in their countries. I would say your analogy is pretty fucking STUPID.

[ItNerd4life]

20. Actually they did, please learn your history.

Immediately following the war in Germany, American soldiers were still attacked. Japan didn't because it was the emperor who surrendered. It was a long time until Germans accepted Americans being on their soil.

[anarch]

17. sorry for the confusion: WWII was a war...I did not mean there has never been a war ever

I meant that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was more of an invasion and occupation than a war, if you see what I mean.

As an aside, I'm pretty sure the U.S. still maintains a military presence in both Germany and Japan. If I understand correctly, such a presence was part of the treaties that were put in place after the Axis powers were defeated in the war. That's not really the same thing.

[zipplewrath]

9. Yes there are

I'm not sure which hair we're splitting here, but combat missions do continue. They are now only planned by the Iraqis, and rarely involve our assistance, but they do continue. It's been this way since at least mid 2009 depending upon how one ones to measure. The only thing that changed this month is the units doing the fighting. But the fighting, and dying, continues.

"And during this period, our forces will have a focused mission -- supporting and training Iraqi forces, partnering with Iraqis in counterterrorism missions, and protecting our civilian and military efforts. These are dangerous tasks. There are still those with bombs and bullets who will try to stop Iraq’s progress. And the hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq."

50000 troops are still there, and it isn't to stand in dress uniform at the embassy.

[another saigon]

10. how many mercenaries?

I believe I read 54 different "private security" firms will remain. I am sure they will not be doing any combat missions.

:eyes:

[zipplewrath]

14. 7000 - 9000

The State department is talking about having 7 - 9K "security subcontractors" flying blackhawks and driving armored vehicles. Supposedly they will be doing mostly protection but there is also discussions about doing "medical evacuations". From what isn't really outlined.

Security firms (mercenaries) will be under the employ of private companies there forever, of course that's no different than Mexico.

[Aramchek]

12. they are not American combat missions, they are Iraqi combat missions

The goal was to turn Iraq back over to the people that live there.

That is what has happened.

[zipplewrath]

15. That is what did happen

A good year or so ago. Nothing much happened this month except a change of the units doing the work. Rotations have been going on the whole time. These units were just replaced by ones that don't have the "combat" designation. If the important thing for you is that we stopped planning the missions, basically that's been over for a while. If it is that we aren't fighting and dying, that's still going on.

[Aramchek]

22. they're safer in Iraq than Afghanistan. we support lots of countries with troops.

why wouldn't we support one which is just struggling to stand on its own feet?

it is our fault, after all, that civilization basically had to be rebuilt there.

[zipplewrath]

23. Because it's a civil war

Who are you supporting, these Iraqis or those Iraqis? The people shooting at us are Iraqis. We've presided over a near genocide in that country. And there is more war coming, the Kurds aren't going to accept a government from the south in the long run. And beyond that, we're helping form a strong stable ally of Iran, and a mild threat to Saudi Arabia. I just can't see how that's worth all the money, much less the lives of our soldiers and the innocent people that get killed in our crossfire.

[another saigon]

19. lol! Really?

That was the goal? Then even that ridiculous notion has not come to pass. There is still no consensus on elections held months ago. At any rate, that was hardly a 'goal'.

:rofl:

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. K&R

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. Stop it!

You're killing their buzz. :D

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. One thing that is telling is that there is a military hospital being built in Germany for over a $1B

and it is to be completed in 2018.

[gratuitous]

18. NO! The military and the media agree

The war is over, Over, OVER! Everyone says so, and when have the military or the media ever gotten it wrong? Or lied to us? Golly, why are you people soooo cynical? You're just a bunch of effin' r-words who need to stop belly-aching and line up for your drug tests. I mean, the very idea!

[bigtree]

21. who the fuck said it was 'over'?

It makes a good rant when you don't acknowledge the rest of the withdrawal plan. The occupation is ending. Unfortunately there's just enough time left in the withdrawal plan for folks to pretend it's going to continue indefinitely.

I wonder about these complaints which reference the past without acknowledging all of the progress made toward the eventual end.It really seems like just another excuse to cast aspersions against our Democratic president. Any fool can see that the occupation is quickly winding down.

As for the abuses of 'empire', it was the Bush administration which squeezed the life and livelihood out of Iraq. There is little room (made available by the Iraqis) left for the U.S. to impose anything close to the interference and imperialism that preceded this Democratic president's term.

Yes, we should not lose sight that this was a travesty, but we should also give credit to this administration for winding the occupation down; eventually to nothing more than an embassy protection force which will not be anywhere near the 50,000 that will remain after this month. In the name of all that is holy, we should give this president the support and credit he deserves as he presses forward to the end of the imposition of American forces there by acknowledging this end. Certainly the republican opposition (who intended to keep hundreds of thousands of troops there indefinitely) won't.