For once I agree with a sentence AAAintheBeltway. The next question is then how long the US is going to keep spending and risk their soldiers' lives before they pull out. Or, maybe they'll never pull out? As someone earlier said, the miliary industrial complex who funds the election campaigns are making so much money that the politicians would like the gravy train to keep on riding as long as possible.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
The current Civil War in Iraq and the United States reaction to it.
- Thread starter SouthAmerica
- Start date
For once I agree with a sentence AAAintheBeltway. The next question is then how long the US is going to keep spending and risk their soldiers' lives before they pull out. Or, maybe they'll never pull out? As someone earlier said, the miliary industrial complex who funds the election campaigns are making so much money that the politicians would like the gravy train to keep on riding as long as possible.
southamerica, I just wanted to add one thing: I disagree that continous presence in Iraq will bring the US market down - the various market instruments each have their own factors that influence them.
I agree that it will destabilise the economy as a whole, and that it would be a weakening factor for the dollar if the US presence lasts for a long time.
I agree that it will destabilise the economy as a whole, and that it would be a weakening factor for the dollar if the US presence lasts for a long time.
.
SouthAmerica: Today, the New York Times had a front-page story about the framing of Iraqâs new Constitution, and how they are in the rush to finish this meaningless document.
In my opinion it will be easier if they have the Constitutional Debate right here in the US.
We have great minds to help frame the new Iraq Constitution â the US government should ask the architects of the Iraq war to help frame its new constitution, and they should put Paul Wolfwitz, Richard Perle in charge of the entire process, since they did such a good job in getting the US involved in Iraq.
After the US government gives them (Paul and Richard) the proper authority they should assemble a number of people to represent the population of Iraq â to try to give a little credibility to the fiasco. In case of a problem in finding a Sunni, a Shiite or a Kurd for this Constitutional Assembly in Washington D.C. they can use an appropriate replacement.
They should try to get a real âSunniâ to represent that part of the population, but a Sonny as in Sonny Corleone will be OK as a last minute replacement.
They should try to get a real âShiiteâ to represent that part of the population, but a shyster also will be OK as a last minute replacement.
They should try to get a real âKurdâ to represent that part of the population, but a Turkish also will be OK as a last minute replacement.
These guys should be able to draft the New Iraq Constitution in a matter of hours, but if they run into problems, all they have to do is: go to Borders bookstore and pick up a book to help them solve the problem, they must have a book called âConstitution for Dummies,â and after the document is ready to go they should Federal Express to Iraq in time to meet the coming deadline.
That will be perfect - what else the Iraqis want?
The system involved a little constitutional debate, some kind of representation by someone, and a final document that we can shove their throats.
Note:
*Shyster = An unethical, unscrupulous practitioner, especially of law.
The above is the kind of suggestion that might help improve things in Washington today.
.
SouthAmerica: Today, the New York Times had a front-page story about the framing of Iraqâs new Constitution, and how they are in the rush to finish this meaningless document.
In my opinion it will be easier if they have the Constitutional Debate right here in the US.
We have great minds to help frame the new Iraq Constitution â the US government should ask the architects of the Iraq war to help frame its new constitution, and they should put Paul Wolfwitz, Richard Perle in charge of the entire process, since they did such a good job in getting the US involved in Iraq.
After the US government gives them (Paul and Richard) the proper authority they should assemble a number of people to represent the population of Iraq â to try to give a little credibility to the fiasco. In case of a problem in finding a Sunni, a Shiite or a Kurd for this Constitutional Assembly in Washington D.C. they can use an appropriate replacement.
They should try to get a real âSunniâ to represent that part of the population, but a Sonny as in Sonny Corleone will be OK as a last minute replacement.
They should try to get a real âShiiteâ to represent that part of the population, but a shyster also will be OK as a last minute replacement.
They should try to get a real âKurdâ to represent that part of the population, but a Turkish also will be OK as a last minute replacement.
These guys should be able to draft the New Iraq Constitution in a matter of hours, but if they run into problems, all they have to do is: go to Borders bookstore and pick up a book to help them solve the problem, they must have a book called âConstitution for Dummies,â and after the document is ready to go they should Federal Express to Iraq in time to meet the coming deadline.
That will be perfect - what else the Iraqis want?
The system involved a little constitutional debate, some kind of representation by someone, and a final document that we can shove their throats.
Note:
*Shyster = An unethical, unscrupulous practitioner, especially of law.
The above is the kind of suggestion that might help improve things in Washington today.
.
.
Jorgeamado88: SouthAmerica, I just wanted to add one thing: I disagree that continuous presence in Iraq will bring the US market down - the various market instruments each have their own factors that influence them.
I agree that it will destabilize the economy as a whole, and that it would be a weakening factor for the dollar if the US presence lasts for a long time.
*************
SouthAmerica: Eventually, if the US stays in Iraq for a long time â the costs related to the war will have a major impact in the US economy.
What I am saying is that depending in the scope of the next major terrorist attack here in the US â that event can cause a major damage to the markets here in the US and around the world.
What would be the market reaction if the terrorists manage to blow up a major chemical plant in the US and over one million people die as a result of the attack? Can such event push the derivatives market over the edge of the abyss?
I know that the new worldwide economic depression will be triggered by a collapse of the derivatives market â I just donât know when that will happen.
Regarding defense spending a major difference between the Reagan years and today â is that today we have almost 40 million people over age 65 collecting Social Security and Medicare and in the next ten years that number will increase to over 70 million people.
Each year that goes by we have another 3 million people over 65 years old collecting SS and Medicare. The liabilities associated to this group of people are huge and growing.
Basically, the United States canât afford the costs related to the Iraq War for a long period of time.
.
Jorgeamado88: SouthAmerica, I just wanted to add one thing: I disagree that continuous presence in Iraq will bring the US market down - the various market instruments each have their own factors that influence them.
I agree that it will destabilize the economy as a whole, and that it would be a weakening factor for the dollar if the US presence lasts for a long time.
*************
SouthAmerica: Eventually, if the US stays in Iraq for a long time â the costs related to the war will have a major impact in the US economy.
What I am saying is that depending in the scope of the next major terrorist attack here in the US â that event can cause a major damage to the markets here in the US and around the world.
What would be the market reaction if the terrorists manage to blow up a major chemical plant in the US and over one million people die as a result of the attack? Can such event push the derivatives market over the edge of the abyss?
I know that the new worldwide economic depression will be triggered by a collapse of the derivatives market â I just donât know when that will happen.
Regarding defense spending a major difference between the Reagan years and today â is that today we have almost 40 million people over age 65 collecting Social Security and Medicare and in the next ten years that number will increase to over 70 million people.
Each year that goes by we have another 3 million people over 65 years old collecting SS and Medicare. The liabilities associated to this group of people are huge and growing.
Basically, the United States canât afford the costs related to the Iraq War for a long period of time.
.
.
July 18, 2006
SouthAmerica: The Iraq civil war is spinning out of control.
********
"Market bombing kills 59"
By Khaled Farhan in Kufa
Reuters - July 18, 2006
A car bomb hit a group of labourers after they boarded a minibus in a market in a Shiite city in Iraq today, killing 59 people and sparking clashes between protesters and police, witnesses and officials said.
The blast, some 50 to 100m from a Shiite shrine in the southern city of Kufa, tore through the minibus after it had pulled out of the crowded market.
Hospital and security sources said 132 people were wounded in the blast, which dealt a fresh blow to Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's efforts to promote national reconciliation.
Riyadh al-Shibni, a doctor in a Najaf health centre, said hospitals in Najaf and Kuf had received 59 bodies.
Police in the scene were pelted with rocks by angry crowds. Many appeared to be followers of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has many supporters in the town. Kufa is near the holy city of Najaf, 150km south of Baghdad.
The protesters chanted to the police: "You are traitors!" "You are not doing your job!" "American agents!".
Police then fired into the air to disperse the onlookers and confused scenes ensued, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.
"It is very chaotic now. The police are shooting in the air and the crowds are running," he said. "Ambulances are racing around town."
The blast, one of the bloodiest since a government of national unity took office in April, came a day after gunmen killed more than 50 people in Mahmudiya, near Baghdad.
Najaf Governor Assad Abu-Kalal blamed the Kufa attack on the "criminal Baathists and terrorists of Mahmudiya."
Witnesses said the minibus had Baghdad licence plates. The blast destroyed six cars and two restaurants in the area.
Violence between majority Shiites and Sunnis, dominant under Saddam Hussein but now the backbone of an insurgency against the US-sponsored political process, has pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
Maliki, a Shiite, has urged Iraqis to rally behind his reconciliation plan as the last hope to avert all-out war.
But Shiite religious and political leaders have warned that mass attacks against their community by suspected Sunni insurgents meant their calls for restraint and to avoid retaliation were being ignored.
Earlier this month, a suicide car bomber blasted two coach-loads of Iranian pilgrims in Kufa, killing 10 and wounding 40.
Gatherings of labourers in crowded markets have become a favourite target of Sunni al-Qaeda insurgents, who Iraqi and US officials say are intent on sparking a civil war between Shiites and Sunnis.
.
July 18, 2006
SouthAmerica: The Iraq civil war is spinning out of control.
********
"Market bombing kills 59"
By Khaled Farhan in Kufa
Reuters - July 18, 2006
A car bomb hit a group of labourers after they boarded a minibus in a market in a Shiite city in Iraq today, killing 59 people and sparking clashes between protesters and police, witnesses and officials said.
The blast, some 50 to 100m from a Shiite shrine in the southern city of Kufa, tore through the minibus after it had pulled out of the crowded market.
Hospital and security sources said 132 people were wounded in the blast, which dealt a fresh blow to Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's efforts to promote national reconciliation.
Riyadh al-Shibni, a doctor in a Najaf health centre, said hospitals in Najaf and Kuf had received 59 bodies.
Police in the scene were pelted with rocks by angry crowds. Many appeared to be followers of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has many supporters in the town. Kufa is near the holy city of Najaf, 150km south of Baghdad.
The protesters chanted to the police: "You are traitors!" "You are not doing your job!" "American agents!".
Police then fired into the air to disperse the onlookers and confused scenes ensued, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.
"It is very chaotic now. The police are shooting in the air and the crowds are running," he said. "Ambulances are racing around town."
The blast, one of the bloodiest since a government of national unity took office in April, came a day after gunmen killed more than 50 people in Mahmudiya, near Baghdad.
Najaf Governor Assad Abu-Kalal blamed the Kufa attack on the "criminal Baathists and terrorists of Mahmudiya."
Witnesses said the minibus had Baghdad licence plates. The blast destroyed six cars and two restaurants in the area.
Violence between majority Shiites and Sunnis, dominant under Saddam Hussein but now the backbone of an insurgency against the US-sponsored political process, has pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
Maliki, a Shiite, has urged Iraqis to rally behind his reconciliation plan as the last hope to avert all-out war.
But Shiite religious and political leaders have warned that mass attacks against their community by suspected Sunni insurgents meant their calls for restraint and to avoid retaliation were being ignored.
Earlier this month, a suicide car bomber blasted two coach-loads of Iranian pilgrims in Kufa, killing 10 and wounding 40.
Gatherings of labourers in crowded markets have become a favourite target of Sunni al-Qaeda insurgents, who Iraqi and US officials say are intent on sparking a civil war between Shiites and Sunnis.
.
The US doesn't recognize the trouble in Iraq as a civil war rather its been labeled as sectarian violence. In other news, the American Civil War has been redefined as regional conflict.