Iraq question

I was just thinking of something. If they Iraqis hated Saddam so much why didn't they resist his regime? They could have been launching suicide attacks every day like they have been now or should I presume these are different people that have slipped into Iraq?

I know Saddam gassed the Kurds but I am talking about resistance like we're seeing right now.

that the attacks are by outsiders that have come to Iraq on behalf of "W"..."Bring'em On"...well...they are...

Saddam instilled fear in his own people.

It's an effective weapon.

* knows this all too well, too. Everything he does merely reinforces the fear in people. He plays them/us like a fiddle.

Why are there so few whistleblowers against corporations in the US? Fear of being fired.

It's sick we live in a society that praises wrongdoers and ostracizes the good people. Oh well.

On the other hand why aren't we doing this to Bush to register our annoyance. Oh, I forgot about Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczinski. So I guess it's fair to say that the chaos of war has opened Iraq's borders in a way that they weren't open when Saddam was in power. So there are a few Iraqis being funded by outsiders to bomb the shit out of anything they can get close to and make a statement.IMHO

When the Shi'ites tried to overthrow Saddam they were massacerd by the thousdands. The US under Bush 1 encouraged this uprising and did nothing to help. This may hve discouraged further rebellion.


Iraq has been "liberated". Saddam is captured.
My question: If Iraq is now "free" why are the US, UK and other forces still occupying Iraq?

Troops and those working for the occupiers wouldn't be attacked if they weren't there right? So why do they persist on being there?

this place will descend into chaos and civil war.

That was one of the predictions of knowledgeable people before the invasion. All current indications are that it was an accurate prediction.

'keep order'? Didn't Saddam 'keep order', domestically?

And how does the current situation in Iraq differ, really, from 'chaos and (almost) civil war'?

Maybe I missed some sarcasm....
:)

That said, if some country invaded the US, killed our families, and stole our natural resources, most of us would probably resist.

Three reasons:
1. Saddam came to power through a highly organized political party--the Ba'ath party. He organized something like a Stalinist police state. Resistance just wasn't possible.

Following the collapse of the regime -everything- fell into disorder. No police, the public records burned. -Lots- of unemployed men hanging around with no one aware of their activities. And the US Army is trying to put this back together with a bunch of guys that can't even read the street signs.

2. Saddam was a whole lot meaner than the US Army. Our guys shoot to kill, but they don't massacre whole clans and villages--even if they could figure out who's related to who.

3. Saddam had a -some- genuine support; the US does not.

The same people who kept the civilian populace in check are the sames ones who are trying to disrupt progress now. They and some Islamic fundamentalist outsiders want to cause bad publicity so the American public will cry for troop withdrawal (see Somalia conflict.) Also so the Iraqi populace will begin to turn as well when they see American soldiers becoming more scared and nervous and progress slowing due to various subversions. By doing so they hope that they will eventually once again regain power by forcing the coalition to leave before a stable democratic government is in place.

and the ultimate result? I can't see any prospect of capturing/killing/changing what seems to be a large and probably growing populace that isn't about to accept some sort of 'democracy by fiat' from a Western power, even the USA. It seems to be a fulfillment of the old Hydra myth, but real, not imaginary, and not necessarily "evil" per se.

You can imprison someone and give them nothing to eat but garlic milkshakes - they'll drink them to stay alive but it ain't likely they will ever like them.

These attacks are certainly achieving the desired results. What do we do about it? Get a stable, representative, and legitimate government in place and have them deal with it. Leaving before this happens, however, will only worsen the situation.

to say.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=2&u=/latimes_ts/20040118/ts_latimes/surgingshiitedemandsputusinabind

The Shia are protesting for what they feel is the best way to achieve the most power for themselves in an Iraqi government. They have been oppressed by a Sunni minority for decades and it makes sense for them to want their turn now. However, we do have to be careful to not start alienating other groups like the Kurds and Sunnis now. Hopefully all groups will be able to find some kind of compromise and share power in the new government.