Iraq war shows limits of US power

[fishman3811]

By John Simpson
World affairs editor, BBC News


Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 I have spent almost a year of my life here, reporting on the conflict.

An increase in US troop numbers has helped contain violence
I have witnessed a disturbing amount of death and injury, and several of my friends have lost their lives. Others have become refugees and asylum-seekers.

It has lasted almost as long as World War II and cost almost as much.

Only one of its original aims, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, has been achieved.

Of the other aims, one was unobtainable because Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction to be destroyed, and the other - bringing democracy to the Middle East - has been indefinitely postponed.

Nothing new in any of this, of course. Anti-war commentators have repeated it all again and again, while pro-war commentators mostly avoid mentioning any of it.

More importantly, the war has shown the limits of American power. It is clear the United States can only manage to fight two small wars at a time.

Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the US armed forces almost to breaking point. America after the invasion of Iraq is no longer the superpower it was before.

Rearguard action

Yet American resilience and inventive power seem to have turned the corner here, at least in military terms. Tactics which were losing the war have been abandoned, and new, more intelligent tactics have taken their place.

Now, the American forces are engaged in fighting a rearguard action, winning time during which the long-term decisions can be taken about withdrawal or some form of continuing presence here.

We have seen how hard it is for the Americans to deal with a few thousand lightly-armed volunteers


Some people - for instance Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate for the White House - will no doubt call this rearguard action a success. He may even be tempted to call it a victory.

Yet at present it is hard to think of it as particularly successful.

On Monday, Vice-President Dick Cheney came to Baghdad and talked about "the phenomenal improvement in security". That day more than 60 Iraqis were killed in bomb attacks.

He had to travel with unprecedented numbers of bodyguards, even though he never left the heavily defended Green Zone. Two mortar rounds hit the Zone while he was there.

None of this feels like a phenomenal improvement in security.

Elementary errors

Still, ever since the start of 2007, when Gen David Petraeus started introducing radically new tactics, the war has entered a different phase.

The various elements in the insurgency have been divided, the Mehdi Army has been persuaded to keep its head down, and the American and Iraqi forces have gone on the offensive, denying their enemy the chance to dig in and control territory.


Dick Cheney has vowed the US mission in Iraq will be completed
Before Gen Petraeus took over, American military tactics were negative, and sometimes seemed almost defeatist.

The insurgents were able to operate at will along the main roads in Baghdad. They took over entire suburbs and towns.

At the same time there was a breathtaking lack of political understanding.

In the first year after the invasion, Iraqi politicians found the American proconsul, Paul Bremer, both arrogant and silly. He made a number of elementary errors which have caused lasting damage.

Nowadays, by contrast, the face of American policy here is Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq. He speaks good Arabic and has a sympathetic understanding of the country and its people.

Altogether, the American military and diplomatic presence here has much more professionalism and intellectual seriousness to it.

Long-term danger

Iraqi friends of mine who once hated the fact that the Americans were here now praise them for driving the militants from the streets. That is a real success.


Violence is down, but Iraqis continue to be killed
But it is small compared with the damage which the war has done to America's reputation. The US state department finds it much harder nowadays to be taken seriously when it criticises other countries for their use of torture and arbitrary arrest.

People the world over have been repelled by things that have been done here: things that are now associated with place-names like Abu Ghraib, Haditha, and Falluja.

Above all, we have seen how hard it is for the Americans to deal with a few thousand lightly armed volunteers.

Germany's 19th-Century Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, said that great powers had to be very careful when they put their military strength to the test. Unless they are overwhelmingly successful, he meant, the perception will be that they have been defeated.

In spite of the new successes on the ground here, that is the long-term danger America faces.

fishman3811 Reviewed by fishman3811 on 03-19-2008. Iraq war shows limits of US power By John Simpson World affairs editor, BBC News Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 I have spent almost a year of my life here, reporting on the conflict. An increase in US troop numbers has helped contain violence I have witnessed a disturbing amount of death and injury, and several of my friends have lost their lives. Others have become refugees and asylum-seekers. It has lasted almost as long as World War II and cost almost as much. Rating: 5

[fishman3811]

Well it seems that at least Gen. Petreasus seems to know how to handle the situation unlike the assclowns before him.He has a long hard fight ahead of him and i hope one day peace will come to Iraq.

[rebgirl420]

This doesn't show the limits of US power. The US has the most high tech army in the world. We could turn the Middle East into glass if we wanted too. But were not fighting this war like that. Were not trying to destroy buildings and kill everyone. Only a select group of people. Were trying to win "the hearts and mind" of the people. This is where we went wrong. The terrorists were fighting fight like pussies. NOT like soldiers.

Were not fighting a war like WW2. In WW2 Patton made sure we won. And thats what we need now, another Patton.

Give us a REAL war (Iraq isn't a real war, we are not fighting the Iraqi people, were fighting a select few. Were trying to help these people build a new nation for christs sake). Like if China or Ruassia go at us. They'll be counting bodies like you couldn't imagine. We'd definately win. It's not even a question.

Using the Iraq war to gauge how well the United States military is would be a foolish thing to do.

[Innominate]

Give us a REAL war (Iraq isn't a real war, we are not fighting the Iraqi people, were fighting a select few. Were trying to help these people build a new nation for christs sake). Like if China or Ruassia go at us. They'll be counting bodies like you couldn't imagine. We'd definately win. It's not even a question.

Grant you we shouldn't be looking for war...right?

[rebgirl420]

Of course. War should be the last option. But sometimes it needs to be done.

And when that time comes, the U.S. knows it's ready.

[Herreic68]

Wars are the second greatest evil that human societies can perpetrate. The first is dictatorship, the enslavement of their own citizens, which is the cause of wars.

[Psycho4Bud]

This doesn't show the limits of US power. The US has the most high tech army in the world. We could turn the Middle East into glass if we wanted too.

Jihadists mistake compassion for "limits" or weakness. Like you stated, we could bring a permanent peace into that region within an hour if desired.

Have a good one!:s4:

[Humboldt215]

just nothing but copy/paste form prisonplanet.com

1 of the most ridiculous and stupid websites on the web.

why must this be a daily America bashing from the alex jones crew?

personally, I think they belong in a special bus with drool cups. I really get sick of this America hatred, if its so bad, go to Canada, or England, shit go to any of the middle east countries and compare your freedom and liberties.



bahhhhhh

And tell me (1) thing ANYBODY here has been hurt by this so called Patriot Act? I cant think of 1.

Jet fuel, blowing up Bldg 7, ya ya the list goes on.... reminds me of the world is flat. But then again the same crew believes the moon landings never happened, why look at the shadows PROOF POSOTIVE it was in a hanger in hollywood, didnt you read Capricorn69?

the IQ sometimes of this politics board just gives me a headache and keeps me away from cann.com but hey its a FREE society and websource, something you couldnt find in a totalatarian govt as claimed.

get a life.

[Humboldt215]

Jihadists mistake compassion for "limits" or weakness. Like you stated, we could bring a permanent peace into that region within an hour if desired.

Have a good one!:s4:

my 2 cents, is keep the press out of the area, keep the special interest politicians out, and let the Generals and military do their job. This whole Iraq thing can be mopped up in 3 mos if we let the military do what they are trained for.

[rebgirl420]

my 2 cents, is keep the press out of the area, keep the special interest politicians out, and let the Generals and military do their job. This whole Iraq thing can be mopped up in 3 mos if we let the military do what they are trained for.

Thank You!

This is what I mean! Come on people, have faith in your men and women in uniform.

The United States is the best country in the world BECAUSE of our military.