Clueless in Washington !!
Did Saddam manage his enemies better than the shock-and-awe gang ??
Seems that way, doesn’t it? I know… I know- Saddam is a very bad guy. But how much better is the opportunistic invader that swung into action with surreptitious goals, half-baked plans, and a total lack of understanding that only a stronger despot can replace a strong despot. Just look at the line up of clowns that had been paraded by the occupier to handle the difficult task of interim governance until the invader take full control.
Virtually all countries, with the exception of a handful of civilized lands, are ruled by Despots, OR Elected Autocrats as is the case with “the land of the free”. It is noteworthy that both kinds require one powerful superman with overblown ego and an over-zealous personal agenda. How many noble men have we seen in the last century - ruling with compassion for his people, and respect for sovereignty of their neighbors?
To contain the three-way divide of the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, Saddam had to resort to age-old methods to eliminate his enemies as swiftly and effectively as he could, just as any other leader, threatened by loss of power following a broken state, would. Despite sanctions from the “good-guys” that disabled supply of food and medicine to millions of Iraqis - one must admit he had done a pretty decent job of holding the vicious infighting down to prevent civil war.
Never mind who admits it, or how they describe current chaos in Iraq – the country has sunk in to civil war beginning on the first day of the shock and awe show. His absence encouraged all and sundry to jump in to avenge old sectarian enmities within, and to demonstrate wrath against the most despised, just-arrived invader.
The lessons are rather profound. One can’t win a war just because one has more money to buy more weapons, or technology to develop sophisticated gadgetry. It’s perhaps analogous to a football team hoping to win the championship just because they had more balls or better equipment. In star-war era, diligence is of utmost importance in the areas of gathering allies who wouldn’t fall out when the going gets tough, clear cut goals, time frames for action, inaction and clever withdrawal without much loss of face, when called for.
Since the invader apparently failed miserably on all fronts, Saddam must be rated lot higher for holding a country, with strongly divided population, together for over three decades. Sadly, he faces life in a dungeon if not death, while the people that split up and torched a sovereign state causing destruction of property and loss of as many innocent lives in three years as by Saddam in his three-decade rule - carry on unashamed and unpunished with their next election farce to uphold Liberty, Fraternity, Equality!!!
Before everyone gets all excited, this isn’t a Cheer-Saddam post. No half-decent human being would condone gruesome atrocities against civilians – be it by a despot or the average two-bit autocrat. This is to demonstrate the all-too-clear truth – Evil isn’t just on some imagined axis, it’s all-pervasive. And, there is no sillier myth than a Super Power.
As a hopeless optimist, I see a glimmer of hope even in the worst of times. Thanks to Bush, Saddam is gone. Thanks to Saddam, there would never be another Bush !!!
Seems that way, doesn’t it? I know… I know- Saddam is a very bad guy. But how much better is the opportunistic invader that swung into action with surreptitious goals, half-baked plans, and a total lack of understanding that only a stronger despot can replace a strong despot. Just look at the line up of clowns that had been paraded by the occupier to handle the difficult task of interim governance until the invader take full control.
Virtually all countries, with the exception of a handful of civilized lands, are ruled by Despots, OR Elected Autocrats as is the case with “the land of the free”. It is noteworthy that both kinds require one powerful superman with overblown ego and an over-zealous personal agenda. How many noble men have we seen in the last century - ruling with compassion for his people, and respect for sovereignty of their neighbors?
To contain the three-way divide of the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, Saddam had to resort to age-old methods to eliminate his enemies as swiftly and effectively as he could, just as any other leader, threatened by loss of power following a broken state, would. Despite sanctions from the “good-guys” that disabled supply of food and medicine to millions of Iraqis - one must admit he had done a pretty decent job of holding the vicious infighting down to prevent civil war.
Never mind who admits it, or how they describe current chaos in Iraq – the country has sunk in to civil war beginning on the first day of the shock and awe show. His absence encouraged all and sundry to jump in to avenge old sectarian enmities within, and to demonstrate wrath against the most despised, just-arrived invader.
The lessons are rather profound. One can’t win a war just because one has more money to buy more weapons, or technology to develop sophisticated gadgetry. It’s perhaps analogous to a football team hoping to win the championship just because they had more balls or better equipment. In star-war era, diligence is of utmost importance in the areas of gathering allies who wouldn’t fall out when the going gets tough, clear cut goals, time frames for action, inaction and clever withdrawal without much loss of face, when called for.
Since the invader apparently failed miserably on all fronts, Saddam must be rated lot higher for holding a country, with strongly divided population, together for over three decades. Sadly, he faces life in a dungeon if not death, while the people that split up and torched a sovereign state causing destruction of property and loss of as many innocent lives in three years as by Saddam in his three-decade rule - carry on unashamed and unpunished with their next election farce to uphold Liberty, Fraternity, Equality!!!
Before everyone gets all excited, this isn’t a Cheer-Saddam post. No half-decent human being would condone gruesome atrocities against civilians – be it by a despot or the average two-bit autocrat. This is to demonstrate the all-too-clear truth – Evil isn’t just on some imagined axis, it’s all-pervasive. And, there is no sillier myth than a Super Power.
As a hopeless optimist, I see a glimmer of hope even in the worst of times. Thanks to Bush, Saddam is gone. Thanks to Saddam, there would never be another Bush !!!
posted by natasha at 10:48 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home