h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[OO]

"2) Pour a ton of soldiers into Iraq to keep the peace."

"This is going to need international support, as you said. To be honest, I really wish France and Germany would get off their high horses and send large troop deployments to Iraq."

i might be wrong in thinking this but the US Military is suppossed to be able to fight 2 major regional conflicts AND a peacekeeping operation, its what the Defence department gets staggeringly large amounts of money for.

To say that the french and the germans should deploy troops to iraq might be a good idea, but it could also facilitate the withdrawal of american troops from iraq at a time when the waring to be a major political hot potatoe during the election.

Perhaps if the goal in iraq was regime change, a coup could have been arranged as it has been done before, in chile , or does the CIA only stge coup de tats in democracies?

"i might be wrong in thinking this but the US Military is suppossed to be able to fight 2 major regional conflicts AND a peacekeeping operation, its what the Defence department gets staggeringly large amounts of money for."

"Supposed" is not the same as reality. It's plainly having difficulty. The problem is, manpower wise, the US is up to the job but the President is strongly politically compromised by feeling at home and Americans, understandably, are not willing sacrifice family-members for their governments cause - there needs to be just reason.

"Perhaps if the goal in iraq was regime change, a coup could have been arranged as it has been done before, in chile"

A coup in Iraq was on the cards for a long time. What people have to understand is that the coup leaders have to be confident that they will be successful. Saddam operated a reign of terror - that's not hyperbole that's fact. There were plenty of people in Iraq capable of overthrowing him but none of them were willing to make a move, because if everyone else didn't show the same courage (unlikely) then retribution would be terrible. Stalin stayed in power the same way - to the extent that even after his death people were afraid to criticise him.

A coup would not have worked.

After the first Gulf War, there was a large uprising in the north of the country. They expected the Americans to support them with at least air support.

The Americans did not support them and Saddam's army wiped them out.

Any attempt at a coup would fail as the Iraqi people would have difficulty believing the Americans would help them.

"After the first Gulf War, there was a large uprising in the north of the country. They expected the Americans to support them with at least air support."

I think the uprising was actually in the Shi'ite south. Saddam did indeed crack down very hard on them after Bush Sr's betrayal. And people wondered why the Iraqis were so hesitant to help coalition troops in Iraq until the Ba'athists were definitely out of power...

Incidentally, the North of Iraq (Kurdish Iraq) became effectively free of Saddam after the First Gulf War and operated under an elected government with US support.