John Tierney's latest NY Times op ed, "One Nation, Divisible" is worth checking out. Non-TimesSelect subscribers can find the article reprinted here.
It's pretty obvious stuff -- like, you had better understand the history and culture of a region before you blow it to smithereens and then try to put it back together -- but not, obviously, to Bush & his Bungling Buffoons.
Excerpt:
"Instead of trying to transform Iraqis into patriots and build up national security forces, the U.S. should be urging decentralization. The national government should concentrate on defending the borders and equitably distributing oil revenue, ideally by distributing shares of the oil wealth directly to citizens.
[...]
It wouldn’t be easy for Iraqis in other regions to work out their differences, but the local leaders would have one crucial advantage over any Iraqis or Americans giving orders from Baghdad. They would realize their neighbors are not going to suddenly embrace national unity. They would know you make peace with the citizenry you have, not the one you want."
Photo credit: John Tierney. (Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)
Related:
- Trying to Contain the Iraq Disaster - New York Times
"No matter what President Bush says, the question is not whether America can win in Iraq. The only question is whether the United States can extricate itself without leaving behind an unending civil war that will spread more chaos and suffering throughout the Middle East, while spawning terrorism across the globe...."
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