WP.
“We are without allies amongst the Iraqi populace, including those who
have benefited from the ouster of Saddam,” said this Special Forces
veteran, who speaks Arabic. “Across Baghdad, Latifiyah, Mahmudiyah,
Salman Pak, Baqubah, Balad, Taji, Baiji, Ramadi and just about
everywhere else you can name, the people absolutely hate us. . . . The
Iraqi people have not bought into what the Americans are selling, and
no amount of military activity is going to change this fact.” NOTE: I would modify this analysis. We still have the Kurds.
I think much of the current analysis is wide of the mark. The
elections mean little. The dynamics of global guerrilla conflict
indicate that even if a small set of groups remain opposed to
establishment of a Shia state, they can keep the country in failure.
System attack changes everything. This isn't Mao redux. [John Robb's Weblog]