The Surge To Domestic Victory
Daniel Ellsberg once said, and rightly so (and yes I have mentioned this on countless occasions), that foreign policy tends to have more to do with domestic politics than anything else. With regards to the US ‘surge’ in Iraq this year, the results have proven Ellsberg’s analogy true yet again.
Violence is down, reports the administration, and therefore the surge has been successful. But, as is always the case, a myriad of realities are conveniently not presented the average American with regards to what has transpired this year in Iraq. In truth, 2007 has been one of the worst years on record.
Dahr Jamail runs through Iraq’s 2007 realties…
In October the Syrian government began requiring visas for Iraqis. Until then it was the only country to allow Iraqis in without visas. The new restrictions have led some Iraqis to return to Baghdad, but that number is well below 50,000.
A recent UNHCR survey of families returning found that less than 18 percent did so by choice. Most came back because they lacked a visa, had run out of money abroad, or were deported.”
One reason for a decrease in the level of violence is that most of Baghdad has essentially been divided along sectarian lines. Entire neighborhoods are now surrounded by concrete blast walls several meters high, with strict security checkpoints. Normal life has all but vanished.
The Iraqi Red Crescent estimates that eight out of ten refugees are from Baghdad.”
“Iraqis are suffering from a growing lack of food, shelter, water and sanitation, healthcare, education, and employment,” the report says. “Of the four million Iraqis who are dependent on food assistance, only 60 percent currently have access to rations through the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS), down from 96 percent in 2004.”
Nearly 10 million people depend on the fragile rationing system. In December, the Iraqi government announced it would cut the number of items in the food ration from ten to five due to “insufficient funds and spiraling inflation.” The inflation rate is officially said to be around 70 percent.
The cuts are to be introduced in the beginning of 2008, and have led to warnings of social unrest if measures are not taken to address rising poverty and unemployment.”
This year 894 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, making 2007 the deadliest year of the entire occupation for the U.S. military, according to ICasualties.org.
To date, at least 3,896 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.”
While this policy has cut violence in al-Anbar, it has also increased political divisions between the dominant Shia political party and the Sunnis – the majority of these “concerned citizens” being paid are Sunni Muslims. Prime Minister Maliki has said these “concerned local citizens” will never be part of the government’s security apparatus, which is predominantly composed of members of various Shia militias.”
According to a recent ABC/BBC poll, 98 percent of Sunnis and 84 percent of Shia in Iraq want all U.S. forces out of the country.”
When you’re sitting on your couch in front of your television on a leisurely Sunday afternoon and the news regarding ‘successes’ in Iraq are presented you, these are the details that are not revealed. And because the situation in Iraq is presented the American public in the simplest of terms, the belief that real progress has been made is becoming the norm.
The truth, on the other hand, isn’t as positive, and therefore it’s best not to delve too deeply beneath the surface.
With a day left in 2007, the United States has now militarily occupied Iraq for almost five years, longer than their entire involvement in the Second World War.
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December 30th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Then there was the one where the keys to a suicide bomb laden vehicle were found in the pockets of a guard in the security detachment of a member of the Iraqi Govt.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:44 am
This really made me cry.. its so sad.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I knew we shoulda had the General sworn in !!!!!!!!!
December 30th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
I’m dumbfounded as to how the American people can continue to be led astray by half baked opinions on how well the war is going when they have been proven false reports time and time again.
More troubling, they continue to trust those news sources who have also been proven false time and time again (caught Outfoxed this morning).
They’re like a bunch of sheep on a giant conveyor belt.
December 30th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
[quote comment="36775"]I’m dumbfounded as to how the American people can continue to be led astray by half baked opinions on how well the war is going when they have been proven false reports time and time again.
More troubling, they continue to trust those news sources who have also been proven false time and time again (caught Outfoxed this morning).
They’re like a bunch of sheep on a giant conveyor belt.[/quote]
Well living in America.. you have three news sources..Fox, CNN and MSNBC and in some places you do get BBC America… I watch BBC Amercia. But its not a excuse for the lack of knowledge. I think that the main reasons we get shoody news is because we dont demand better coverage. We are fine with our hour of snippets of the world in general, the sports portion of the news cast being the most watched next to weather ( that was a poll that was conducted ) and the occasional person will troll the internet for more world news.. not most though.
I was talking to a teacher from London today and she was baffled at our news agencies here as well as our education. She was so shocked to see that Iran, Bhutto’s assassination and Iraq are not things that are spoke about in schools at all. or on the nightly news stations ( she did a educational internship in LA ). And when she asked this class that she was assisting in about politics as a whole, no one would speak, but if you asked about Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, they could name their current BFF, Boy Friends, their pets etc…but could not name the President of Iran, the name of the President of Afghanistan etc..foreign policies are not topics for the public school systems. But in private school they are.. I digress. But she was in all honestyastonished at the lack of correct news coverage in the States…and the lack of debate or discussion at all.
She made a good point that I thought so relevant: Americans ( in general ) have the ostrich mentality, as long as the terrorism is over seas and not at our back or front door, its not completely news worthy. That the American youth is growing up in a dumbed down society where religion, politics, economics etc are frowned upon as conversations to be had in school-due to political correctiveness. And to end the conversations she said to me: Your youth are the dumbest there are in the world and they are the ones who will be running the country in 20 years time. If I was a Amercian I would be scared or moving. To have the access to the free education and not utilize to the best of its abilities is a astonishment.
And she is perfectly correct.
December 30th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I like your comments about wasted education hopeforchange. Well said, sadly.
December 30th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
sooo.. this surge is werking! what happens when the surge is done?
December 30th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Hearts and minds, baby.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Yes, well said, Hope.
I appreciate your comment.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
[quote comment="36777"]…but if you asked about Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, they could name their current BFF, Boy Friends, their pets etc…but could not name the President of Iran, the name of the President of Afghanistan etc..foreign policies are not topics for the public school systems. [/quote]
Thank you, NCLB. Narrow the cirriculum down to a few subjects for a high-stakes test, and this is what you get.
[quote comment="36777"]She made a good point that I thought so relevant: Americans ( in general ) have the ostrich mentality, as long as the terrorism is over seas and not at our back or front door, its not completely news worthy. That the American youth is growing up in a dumbed down society where religion, politics, economics etc are frowned upon as conversations to be had in school-due to political correctiveness. And to end the conversations she said to me: Your youth are the dumbest there are in the world and they are the ones who will be running the country in 20 years time. If I was a Amercian I would be scared or moving. To have the access to the free education and not utilize to the best of its abilities is a astonishment.
And she is perfectly correct.[/quote]
I wholeheartedly agree.
As the proud product of four different public school systems in three different states (railroad brat), I can attest to the fact that we have enacted a policy that guarantees that everything is taught to the lowest common denominator with such intensity, we have little time left over for such “luxuries” as critical thinking. I lived in TX for two years, while Bush was governor, and the highly-touted standardized tests that he decided to collectively shove down the throats of the nation were honestly a joke. I took the “exit level” exam in 10th grade, and I can tell you from personal experience that you could expect your average sixth-grader to comfortably pass it.
I spent my last two years of high school in Central Oregon, where you were required to take three semesters of “Personal Finance.” In this case, Personal Finance meant things like choosing a college, how to apply for a job without making an ass of yourself, and taking the DAT (I scored in the 95-98 percentile in everything but mechanical reasoning, as I recall). All of these things are necessary, but it left us completely ignorant of things like renting an apartment, making a budget, buying a new car or signing a mortgage. I attribute the tanking of the real estate market to the fact that most people were never taught the difference between a fixed rate mortgage and an ARM, or why a credit card with a rate of 17% is the dumbest possible way to pay the bills.
Mind you, I graduated in June 1998, when the economy was on an enormous upswing.
If we can’t take care of ourselves domestically, is it really that much of a surprise that many Americans have such a staggering ignorance of foreign policy?
December 31st, 2007 at 12:10 am
I just read this, and it made me think of both this post and the one before:
“Ideology designates a totality set on effacing the traces of its own impossibility.” - Zizek
December 31st, 2007 at 6:44 am
The situation in Iraq is awful. No shit. But tell us what the solution is? Everyone wants to rant and wale about how much the US sucks and how horrible life is for the Iraqis. Well ,you know what folks, what’s done is done and unless one of you guys has a time machine there’s no way to take back all of this damage, all that can be done now is try to manage it. And how are we supposed to that any better than we are right now? All these stats of deaths and misery are truly appalling, but what do you think is going to fix it? Do any of you honestly believe that just pulling US troops out of Iraq is going to magically fix everyhing? Do you honestly think that an international UN led force would do any better? Do you really think anyone else out there wants to deal with this mess? All of these atrocious statistics would be more than double if the US military was not present. It is the Us army that is maintaining any measure of order in that country. So if you folks are so concerned about human rights and living conditions and safety in the country, you should thank God that there’s still US soldiers on the ground.
Of course the US should not have invaded, of course the President used the World Trade Center attack to spur the American people and congress to give him unlimited reign over the military. But its too late to change that now. So what if the media doesn’t report how terrible things are in Iraq. What difference would that really make? If all of these facts that Matt has listed were posted on every billboard in America, what difference would it make? What’s your objective? You want to rile Americans up so that they demand we withdraw troops? That’s like saying lets save our sinking ship by pulling the corks out of the holes. Do you want to get Americans to commit more troops to Iraq to further contain the violence? If that happened you would all rail against the increased occuptation by the evil imperialist American state.
Everyone is so quick to criticize and condemn, but no one takes the time to really think about the current situation, the dynamics of the problem, or consider the consequences of of their proposed actions, and what real solutions should be considered. Its that short cited-ness and fanatic illogical furvor that makes most opponents to this occupation no better than President Bush himself.
“Iraqis are suffering! The US sucks!” - great platform I think I just heard all of the Iraqis breath a collective sigh of relief thanks to your efforts.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:48 am
You have good points, but the point ( i think of Matt’s blogs ) is to open communication. There is nothing healthier then open and honest debates and the sharing of opinions. Instead of finding the fault with the posts or blogs, try to see to seem them as a way for people to express themselves in a manner that is exploratory.
I do live by the motto: Be part of the solution not part of the problem. But in order to do that people need a foundation or a voice for them. Matt is a in a fortunate situation ( or not depending on how you look at it) and he can use his celebrity to be a voice for the ones who can not.. or the ones who would but do not know how to use it.
Its important to have discussion, that way the path to a healthy and educated solution is found.
I dont think that pulling troops backs will be any better, but if we are going to have our men and women over there dying for our countries, then we need to supply them with the equipment to better secure their longetivity ( and I mean that in the live longer sense of the term). I served in the US Army for 6 years. I know whats its like to serve with substandard gear and arms..I worked in a Army hospital which was needing new equipment, but instead the government didnt approve a bill that would have allowed that but did pass a pork belly bill.. I want to know why the government will allow Wal Mart $129 billion dollars in subsidiaries BUT wont think twice about passing a bill that will give the men and women over seas the equipment to save their lives.. I think that the American public ( in general ) doesn’t really care. Our nation is more concerned over why the Wii isnt in stock or when the new shipment of Guitar Hero is getting into the local Best Buy. I have yet to a news story on the night time news that is based on Foreign relations or even the local politics.. Instead they focus on the plight of Britney Spears this year. Pardon my language.. but big fucking deal. I can give a shit about her or Paris Hilton, neither one of those girls pay my bills or cut my taxes or do anything for my enviroment. But the topics that are important are not talked about because no one want to stir the pot.. and the American Government sits back and laughs it royal ass off because we the people dont demand more from our Leaders..and that is why you have a place like Matt’s blog that people come to, to voice their heart felt opinions, whether we all agree or not, whether or not we make sense to others.. Its a place, safe in its sense that we can say what we need or not WITHOUT the fear of a government coming in and arresting you on acts of treason and executing you ( and yes that does happen over seas..all the time )..
So my point.. dialoge brings about change.. so I welcome these posts and love to come to read Matt’s blog(s) for the day.. It impresses me a great deal that a man who really who is in a position to not really give a shit.. does. And he does do things that help out the people of his country and my own. He opens himself up every single day and posts very personal and intimate thoughts of his mind and life here and allows us to talk and discuss..
So yea, we are helping each other.. We opening communications with one another.. and that has a trickle down effect.
And I really dont mean the above words to come off as mean spirited, as I am not that by nature, but I do feel the need to express that we as a community really do care and if some of us could do more then express our voice, I am sure that we as a whole would.
December 31st, 2007 at 8:10 am
Wow hope. Very Nice. I appreciate your comments.
I do agree with you mor4652. I mean, we are already there, its too late to go back and undo what has been done. And for the most part, people recognize that we were led in there under false pretenses. I think the problem is this. Misinformation. Misinformation is what led us to thinking it was okay to invade Iraq and Misinformation is what is convincing the American people today that despite our hasty invasion of Iraq, we are now seeing some success. If you don’t believe me, just listen to republican radio sometime. Theres a guy on in Boston, Jay Severin. The man makes me want to pull my hair out, but he is an astute man, and often makes some good points. for the most part though, I think he is ridiculously right wing and sometimes believes the misinformation. And as someone who has a TONNE of listeners, he has influence over popular opinion in Boston. I bring him up because one of the topics he discusses at length is the war in Iraq and how it stands currently. He thinks General Petraeus should be the man of the year for “turning the tide” in Iraq. And people call in, and they agree with him “Thank goodness, we sent more troops and more money, NOW we are seeing a difference”, because all they are seeing is what he is telling them. Him and Fox News.
I think Matt’s point in all this is that FOX, CNN, and Republican radio are all singing the praises of the “surge” and not paying attention to the fact that it isnt working.Everything isn’t as perfect as TV would like to have people believe. Remember back when the US first invaded. There was a group of people insisting there were no WMD, and that this was all a ruse. I was one of them, I insisted this was all bullshit, and that Bush et al were just looking for a reason to invade. And time showed that I and others like me were right. If people shut up just because no one wanted to hear what they had to say, then there would never be an opportunity for change, and we would all support whoever was in charge blindly. It’s because of sites like these and people who stand up and say “wait a minute, I think you are full of crap” that we have the ability to be a textured society. I dont agree with everything Matt writes all the time, and I don’t have to. But regardless, I appreciate that he provides a forum for those of us who want to debat and dialogue.
And let me be honest, I think the bigger problem right now is more troops in Iraq. You can beat a people into submission if you have the right strategy and enough firepower. Look at what the colonists did here in the Americas. They came, they saw, they conquered. They were strategic and planned on exterminating all of the Native American people almost from the outset (and definitely from the begining of what we know as the US, I ask anyone who doesnt believe me to read up on George Washington, that man had a plan). But that doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t make it the thing to do. Right now you have the same situation in Iraq. Oh sure, we arent trying to colonize the country (are we?) but if we send enough troops and use enough firepower we can make the violence stop, who cares what the consequences are. The ebb in violence will justify our actions and make us seem like we are in control. Never mind that you have a whole nation of people out there who feel like they are being colonized and oppressed. I do think that the US should withdraw, I think the Iraqi people should be allowed to reform as they see fit. Iraq was never supposed to be a “nation” with the boundaries that it has now. There are too many distinct groups out there. And whenever you try and force several culturally distinct peoples together, you are going to have problems, because they just dont identify with each other.
December 31st, 2007 at 8:16 am
* i meant to type: Vote no to a bill that would have better equiped out troops..bleh I need more coffee..
And thank you Xarcadia.
You and I having come from countries that have no problem with taking away our rights to expression can really appriciate what this website/blog brings to our lives..having lived without a voice for a time and having had family who lost lives for their voice, I feel as if its my moral responsiablity to use mine responsiably. They did afterall instill in us to be intelligent humans..because before I am girl of Iranian/American descent, I am a human being.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:48 am
Imagine the responses if “Fox” had a live from Iraq news segment where they showed the aftermath of some of our “operations”. But hey, who needs to see the now blind legless little girl or fatherless child and mother? Everybody.
I think one of the best things we have today are figures, like Matt or Reznor, that urge people to at least seek different resources for the truth behind everything and see what is really REALLY happening and what lays ahead.
December 31st, 2007 at 6:09 pm
A thought:
Let’s say that you have a child, and that something happens to that child. Further, let’s say that someone tells you that John Smith is responsible for harming your child, and convinces you that you must beat the crap out of John Smith in order to prevent him from harming your child or anyone else’s child ever again.
As you are beating the crap out of John Smith, someone tells you (and presents convincing evidence) that earlier, you were lied to, and that John Smith (while maybe not the best guy in the world) had nothing to do with what happened to your child. However, now John is furious at you - and rightfully so, you’ve caused him some severe injuries! Is continuing to beat the crap out of the man the right and honorable way to prevent him from attacking you? I would say that it isn’t.
I’m sure this analogy is debatable, and it certainly doesn’t cover every aspect of America’s treatment of Iraq, it’s something to think about.
January 1st, 2008 at 11:22 am
Somehow we need to get those poor innocent young men out of that war. The love of money is the root of all evil and it’s the root cause of the deaths of so many innocent.