In a recent meeting I had with a returning Marine officer who had returned from deployment to Iraq, I was surprised at much of what he had to say.

The most important information he has was that 65% of the Iraqi population is under 25 which has created a large generational gap.

He told me that the younger generation is not that religious and blame the Sunni and Shi’ite clerics for much of the death and destruction that has come to Iraq.

The younger men and women want more interaction with the opposite sex and do not hold with the Islamic restrictions on women.

Remains to be seen what the older generation will do to accommodate the younger generation.

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The Washingtonpost.com, August 31, 2010, has an interesting headline: Gates: All Is Not Well As Combat Role Ends, By Anne Gearan, Associated Press.

All is not well –what an understatement.

All is not well in Iraq as the U. S. formally closes down its “combat mission” there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday, warning that political paralysis and continued sectarian violence cloud the Iraqis future.

Gates said conditions in Iraq are much better; however, as the United States shifts to an advisory role seven years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

“I am not saying all is, or necessarily will be, well in Iraq,” Gates said, noting the lack of a new government more than six months after national elections, and continued sectarian tension.

“This is not a time for premature victory parades or self-congratulation, even as we reflect with pride on what our troops and their Iraqi partners have accomplished,” Gates told an American Legion audience.

Cannot understand how 50,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq will not be in “combat missions.”

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The rivalry between the Muslim religious sects, Shi’ite and Sunni, could re-erupt in violence again.

The Shi’ite militia under radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which was crippled two years ago, has begun to regroup and adds a new dimension to the challenges in Iraq. The so called Mahdi Army has been recalled to help protect Shi’ite mosques where a number of bombings have been targeting worshipers.

According to the AP, a spokesman for al-Sadr said the Mahdi Army was being reinstated to make sure the U.S. “occupiers” stick to the withdrawal date of 31 Dec 2011.

Naturally, the Sunnis fear that the radicals will engage in new violence in Sunni neighborhoods.

The Shi’ites gained seats in the recent parliament elections and caused a deadlock in the parliament due to no clear majority after the March 7, 2010, vote to form a government.

It was announced yesterday that the political bloc of Nouri al-Maliki, the incumbent Iraqi prime  minister, has joined forces with its main Shi’ite rival, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), leaving the newly formed bloc just four seats short of a parliamentary majority.

It can be assumed that the Kurds may offer support if they get something in return.

Peace is not at hand.

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After a series of deadly bombings in Iraq, the anti-American Shiite cleric, Mugtada al-Sadr has declared that if the central government does not protect the Shiites, they will protect themselves.

This raises the question that Sadr is considering reactivating the Shiite militia called the Mahdi Army.

The ugly head of Civil War and sectarian violence is once again a possibility.

Hopefully, Sadr was only posturing to enhance his political position with his followers aligning themselves with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to keep any Sunni power block with the secular leader, Ayad Allawi, who won a slim majority of votes in the recent election, from forming a government.

The situation in Iraq with what was thought to be a stable government is on the verge of disintegrating.

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Let’s face it, there are many in Iraq who wants us out now and there is no getting around that.

Many in the U.S.  have tried to cloak our invasion as liberation from Saddam Hussein. Many others see reasons varying from stopping weapons of mass destruction getting in the wrong hands, which Saddam said he had, to rooting out Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, who cleverly hid their presence from the main network and cable TV news media.

Denial and deception are the Intelligence buzz words today. This is so true even as terrorist all over cover their atrocities and guide the major world news media attention to fabricated incidents.  The Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist have become masters of denial and deception. Unfortunately, many American’s know not what they see.

Binoy Kampmark, writing for Counter Punch, July 2, 2009, said it best: “No one genuinely likes liberators.  After the initial enthusiasm wears off, the term occupation rapidly succeeds it.”

Some may think that we have achieved some form of stabilization in Iraq. However, there is much sectarian tension boiling under the surface of what is called Iraq. The sometimes pro-American Kurdish minority, who fears that it will be forgotten as U.S. forces withdraw, would welcome the Administration’s involvement in mediating domestic disputes, especially those concerning its borders. The Sunni Arabs of Iraq are not sure whom to trust. Many of the former Arab mujahideen were supposed to be paid for switching sides but many have not been paid in months. Trouble is brewing here.

Quoting Binoy Kampmark again:  “Had the US and its bought (sic) allies stated the mission in a humanitarian way from the start, matters might be different, if only slightly.  Instead, they were saddled with inadequate plans for (nation)-building they were ill equipped to muster, on a mission that was undercut from the start.”

 Back in 2004, the US proconsul (perhaps viceroy?) Paul Bremer, decided to disband the entire Iraqi military, many of the police and most government officers.  This had the immediate effect of wide spread looting and anarchy.

Bremer was reported to have said we’re not in the business of nation building.

The US can only hope that the seeds of democracy finally have been planted in Iraq. But historians will write against the invasion, stripping it of its value, and placing it in some categories of imperialism.  The US may have been a super-power, adept at deploying military force, but it has often failed badly in the nation building responsibilities. 

It is easy to see how many Iraqis think that we have gone from liberation to occupation.

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Let’s face it, there are many in Iraq that wants us out now and there is no getting around that.

Many have tried to cloak our invasion as liberation from Saddam Hussein. Many saw reasons varying from stopping weapons of mass destruction getting in the wrong hands, which Saddam said he had, to rooting out Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, who cleverly hid their presence from the main network and cable TV news media.

Denial and deception are the Intelligence buzz words today. As Osama bin Laden said after 9/11: “we have exceeded beyond our wildest dreams.” This is so true even today as terrorist cover their atrocities and guide the major world news media attention to fabricated US bombings of the innocent.  The Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist have become masters of deception and denial. Unfortunately, many American’s know not what they see.

Vice President Joe Biden’s mission to Iraq to promote national reconciliation was rebuffed by Prime Minister Nouri  Maliki, who told him that the issue was a domestic Iraqi affair and that U.S
involvement wouldn’t be welcome.

Biden has been appointed by President Obama as his special representative on dealings with the Persian Gulf nation (read Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan). His primary assignment, the White House said, is to work with Iraqis “toward overcoming their political differences and achieving the type of reconciliation that we all understand has yet to fully take place.”

Denial and deception works for the enemy as well as our “friends.”

Maliki has for too long now deceived the US on his plans and his intentions.

A failed state in Iraq, or even worse in Afghanistan, will be the mill stone around the neck of the 2010 Congressional elections

The sometimes pro-American Kurdish minority, who fears that it will be forgotten as U.S. forces withdraw, would welcome the Obama administration’s involvement in mediating the domestic disputes, especially those concerning its borders.

BINOY KAMPMARK, writing for Counter Punch, July 2, 2009, said it best: “No one genuinely likes liberators.  After the initial enthusiasm wears off, the term occupation rapidly succeeds it.”

Some may think that we have achieved some form of stabilization. However, there is much sectarian tension boiling under the surface of what is called Iraq.

Quoting Binoy Kampmark again:  “Had the US and its bought (sic) allies stated the mission in a humanitarian way from the start, matters might be different, if only slightly.  Instead, they were saddled with inadequate plans for (nation)-building they were ill equipped to muster, on a mission that was
undercut from the start.   Back in 2004, the US proconsul (perhaps viceroy is better?) Paul Bremer, decided to pre-occupy himself with motoring laws, forbidding Iraqi motorists to drive with only one hand on the wheel.  Meanwhile, the insurgency was ratcheting up the bombing campaign.  Such is the absurd nature or state building on the cheap.”

Intelligence is often quoted as being the cornerstone in counterinsurgency and nation-building.

The US can hope that the seeds of democracy have been planted in Iraq. But historians will write against the invasion, stripping it of its value, and placing it in some categories of imperialism.  The US may have been a super-power, adept at deploying military force, but it has often failed badly in the nation building responsibilities.  Lethal drones are easier to command than divided populations.

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