Ethnic Cleansing in Iraq?

[chris]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070404/ts_nm/usa_iraq_gates_dc_1
I'm no way Brain of Britain, but 'duh', wasn't this obvious from the beginning. In plain english it's called settling scores. The thing that the USA has never understood is the tribal nature of that part of the world. It's the same in Africa. You cannot impose Western style democracy on places like this, it won't work.
I think this highlights once again, the problem that the USA entered Iraq but had no exit strategy.

[Susie]

Hi Chris

I do tend to agree with you. Unfortunately (IMHO) America should not have gone into Iraq without the support and backing of the UN.

You certainly cannot impose any democracy onto any other country only sanctions against them if needed.

I dread to think about the cost of this war and the number of years it will take the USA to recover financially from it.

More importantly, any people from whatever country they are from, who lost their lives is too higher price for anyone to have to pay. My hearts and prayers are with their families.

[punky]

Unfortunately Chris, you are right...

Shortly after Saddam was removed, and the police force was re-staffed with all new recruits, straight away they started torturing criminals and generally abusing their human rights. I.e. they were as bad as the henchmen of Saddam they replaced.

[Munish]

The moral of story... think long and hard before voting George Bush III for President.

[chris]

On a similar text I watched a TV movie (In Pursuit of Justice) this week (from Canada/Germany) that was based on the pursuit of Milosevic by a Canadian Judge after the breakdown of Yugoslavia. Although much of the publicised violence and atrocities there took place post TiTo's death and the breakdown into Bosnia, Serbia, etc, what came out was that it was 'tribal' (mainly religious based) and had been going on for hundreds of years.
If you look pre-Saddam, you will see the same tribal divisions have gone on in Iraq for hundreds of years.