Our continued occupation of Iraq is pure neo-colonialism

[leftofthedial]

What lessons, if any, can be learned about the failures and collapse of European colonialism from the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries that are applicable to our plight in Iraq?

I'm not aware of any nation that the European colonial powers left behind that did not go through protracted (even to this day) periods of chaos and violence.

I don't see stability in Iraq's near future, no matter how many troops we send there or how many compliant puppets we try to put into power.

It is a slow-motion melt down that we will be powerless to stop.

[izzie]

1. I t seems you are right but I do not know my history that well.

The countries coming out of the Iron Curtain countries seem to do better but that is a little later and some what different.Japan and Germany I do not think can be put into this at all but I do hear the GOP keep saying this as like Iraq. The armies in these countries turned their govt over to us and Germany was rebuilt, but then only half and Japan was a unit within its self of people who did what they were told. We also put in the govt and the people to run it who did as we told for 50 years.Germany was run by Eng. Fr. and Us. or the parts that worked out well and Rus. just looted their part and ruled with an iron fist. I would say what we did is more like Germany did to Poland or Austria, as it seems to me it is a take over. Fr. also comes to mind. The whole time Ger. was in Fr. they fought in the under ground to get them out and I think they lost a million men at the start of the war so it was really not just the same either. Iraq army just melted away and Fr. gave up after being really beat.It also was not the whole country. It is an interesting subject. Fir the life of me I do not see where the US got it in their minds we would be met with dancing flower people. Ever hear of that going on. Fr. did at the end of the war but how can we count that as the same?

[leftofthedial]

2. It seems to me that among ex-colonies

very very few have done well and those that have are mostly geographically self-contained: USA, Australia, Canada. Hard to think of any others.

The Latin American colonies, especially small ones have really struggled. A handful of Carribean colonies have survived on tourism, but many are dysfunctional in the extreme. African colonies have been downright disastrous. Many of these have the problem of arbitrary borders having been drawn by the colonizing nations--often to quell political opposition.

That is clearly an issue in Iraq, where arbitrary borders divided Kurds in Iraq from Kurds in Turkey and Iran. Borders divided Shia Muslims from their own in Iran. Borders divided oil wealth among Arab families, but separated ethnic and religious groups. This is a kind of Balkanization that always seems to foment violence.

I think the future of Iraq is almost certain to be extemely unsettled and violent. The Fallujah outrage is just a small taste of more to come.