Dropping the Bombshells
Well, here it is, the long awaited full text of the Iraqi Study Group report is out and it was not a let down. It's also available at your local bookstore or through amazon.com for those of us who can't read computer screens. Also, dog-earing and underlining are really hard to do on-line. In all, the committee made 70 recommendations ranging from the obvious but needed to be said (such as Recommendation 10: "The issue of Iran's nuclear program should be dealt with by the United Nations. . .") to the cold hard truth (such as Recommendation 37: "Iraqi amnesty programs must not be undercut in Washington. . .") to the occasionally unimplementable (Recommendation 15 part 5: "A verifiable cessation of Syrian efforts to undermine the democratically elected government of Lebanon"). It is, in toto, a masterstroke of what a governent commission can be capable of when people who are not responsible to the bureacracy can do. 10 people, 5 Democrats and 5 republicans, got together, in the words of Vernon Jordan "checked their partisanship at the door", and issued a report that was smart, critical and shoots the moon.
First off, let's look at the obvious truths. The first half dozen recommendations have to do with howthe Us has to, for the first tie in a while, actually own to the diplomatic side of the war and start talking to Iraq's neighbors, in a serious fashion, about the future of Iraq. The report asks for a comprehensive new diplomatic program to be started by December 31, 2006, which is lightspeed for government. It calls for a whole list or requirements, such as respecting Iraq's borders, internal integrity, promote prosperity and generally make sure Iraq gets off the ground. And those are just the first two recommendations. It called on other nations, especially neighbors and other Muslim nations, to provide aid, forgive debts and set up reciprocating embassies. Yes, Iran has a working embassy in Baghdad and Saudi Arabia has yet to send a letter formally recognizing the governmment of Iraq. These are different sized solutions that all need to be undertaken for a more stable Iraq. And, yes, these fall under the category of obvious steps that can be undertaken, and SHOULD have happened months if not years ago.
That was the good and now for the bad. The recommendations that will be REALLY hard to implement, at best, but are still necessary. Some of these are the truths no one wants to hear. It calls or the Secretary of State, at least, if not the President and the United Nations to step up more and take real charge of what is going on in Iraq. According to the report, the US needs to form an alliance of European nations, Arab nations and regional powers to hammer out the nasty details about what can be practically done to help Iraq. It also calls for the US to discuss with Iran and Syria, in serious and real terms, about their role in stabilizing Iraq. It also says the US needs to leave any kind of nuclear negotiations off the table while talking about Iraq. One of the main points of the report is that America cannotcontinue this level of engagement in Iraq and MUST start withdrawing some troops away from Iraq in order to have greater resources to deal with Afghanistan. The Report spells, multiple times and in no uncertain terms that the US has FAILED to deal with Afghanistan much as we failed to deal the Balkans 10 years ago. Yes, it was great that we made it to Baghdad so fast and we practiced new sense of Shock and Awe, but our real issues lay a few hundred miles east of Baghdad.
The ugly was when they REALLY let the cat out of the bag regarding Iraq, saying any real destabilization in Iraq would disrupt any kind of real tranquility in the Middle East. To that end, they decided that destablization AROUND Iraq would increase the likelihood of neighbors, such as Syria and Iran, meddling in affairs of Iraq's future. To this end, they made 5 recommendations, some of them with many points each, about the Israel/Lebanon/Syria/Freedonia conflict. Some of the high points were looking into the assassination of anti-Syria Lebanese public officials, stop Syria from fucking with Israel, a real government for a real state for a real Palestine and for Israel to give the Golan Heights to Syria to further extend the "land for peace" deals and plans set up by the UN in various numbered accords, resolutions and treaties. These three things, either in part, together, concurrent or consecutively, are not gonna happen. Honestly, it's hard to say which is the least likely: Syria not hating Israel, Palestine gets their act together or Israel gives up land for. . .anything, much less peace. Syria NOT fucking up their weaker neighbor like an older brother picking on weakling child, well, few things are gonna stop that. While it is bold to try and ask all these groups to sit down and respect each other, it's not going to reasonably happen just by virtue of one commission's recommendations.
Then again, even just a few of the 79 recommendations would be the first bold steps in a bave new direction.
So it is written, so do I see it.
Also, it was 65 years ago today Pearl Harbor was bombed and we started in war. At least we didn't need a commission for that.
First off, let's look at the obvious truths. The first half dozen recommendations have to do with howthe Us has to, for the first tie in a while, actually own to the diplomatic side of the war and start talking to Iraq's neighbors, in a serious fashion, about the future of Iraq. The report asks for a comprehensive new diplomatic program to be started by December 31, 2006, which is lightspeed for government. It calls for a whole list or requirements, such as respecting Iraq's borders, internal integrity, promote prosperity and generally make sure Iraq gets off the ground. And those are just the first two recommendations. It called on other nations, especially neighbors and other Muslim nations, to provide aid, forgive debts and set up reciprocating embassies. Yes, Iran has a working embassy in Baghdad and Saudi Arabia has yet to send a letter formally recognizing the governmment of Iraq. These are different sized solutions that all need to be undertaken for a more stable Iraq. And, yes, these fall under the category of obvious steps that can be undertaken, and SHOULD have happened months if not years ago.
That was the good and now for the bad. The recommendations that will be REALLY hard to implement, at best, but are still necessary. Some of these are the truths no one wants to hear. It calls or the Secretary of State, at least, if not the President and the United Nations to step up more and take real charge of what is going on in Iraq. According to the report, the US needs to form an alliance of European nations, Arab nations and regional powers to hammer out the nasty details about what can be practically done to help Iraq. It also calls for the US to discuss with Iran and Syria, in serious and real terms, about their role in stabilizing Iraq. It also says the US needs to leave any kind of nuclear negotiations off the table while talking about Iraq. One of the main points of the report is that America cannotcontinue this level of engagement in Iraq and MUST start withdrawing some troops away from Iraq in order to have greater resources to deal with Afghanistan. The Report spells, multiple times and in no uncertain terms that the US has FAILED to deal with Afghanistan much as we failed to deal the Balkans 10 years ago. Yes, it was great that we made it to Baghdad so fast and we practiced new sense of Shock and Awe, but our real issues lay a few hundred miles east of Baghdad.
The ugly was when they REALLY let the cat out of the bag regarding Iraq, saying any real destabilization in Iraq would disrupt any kind of real tranquility in the Middle East. To that end, they decided that destablization AROUND Iraq would increase the likelihood of neighbors, such as Syria and Iran, meddling in affairs of Iraq's future. To this end, they made 5 recommendations, some of them with many points each, about the Israel/Lebanon/Syria/Freedonia conflict. Some of the high points were looking into the assassination of anti-Syria Lebanese public officials, stop Syria from fucking with Israel, a real government for a real state for a real Palestine and for Israel to give the Golan Heights to Syria to further extend the "land for peace" deals and plans set up by the UN in various numbered accords, resolutions and treaties. These three things, either in part, together, concurrent or consecutively, are not gonna happen. Honestly, it's hard to say which is the least likely: Syria not hating Israel, Palestine gets their act together or Israel gives up land for. . .anything, much less peace. Syria NOT fucking up their weaker neighbor like an older brother picking on weakling child, well, few things are gonna stop that. While it is bold to try and ask all these groups to sit down and respect each other, it's not going to reasonably happen just by virtue of one commission's recommendations.
Then again, even just a few of the 79 recommendations would be the first bold steps in a bave new direction.
So it is written, so do I see it.
Also, it was 65 years ago today Pearl Harbor was bombed and we started in war. At least we didn't need a commission for that.