Rat Lines Into Iraq

[tw]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

All I said was that you need to choose a side to support. I see you may have already done so.

In a world of black vs white; left vs right; good vs evil; 'conservative vs liberal'; ‘them vs us’ - everything is simplified into sides. That works where extremists forget reality while disparaging the intelligencia and bourgeois. If the world exists in ‘black and white’, then what really exists are only ‘moderates vs extremists’. A real world is chock full of perspectives. richlevy asks about those perspectives. One who cannot appreciate the scope in his questions would only be thinking in ‘them vs us’.

An earlier post asked a damning question. Answer is rather telling:

I certainly never said that I didn't expect Iran to get involved. If I had my way we would have done a better job of closing up the border and rat lines and hammer those who were caught inside Iraq before they moved more than 25 meters.

More ‘black vs white' thinking. Ask important strategic questions. Did you ask, “What are Iranians thinking?” Answer to those question and the explanation for Iranian actions is based in Iranian security. A country surrounded for generations by potential enemies on every border. Iranians, for example, loved that America was attacking the Taliban - to eliminate a threat. Iranians even offered military, reconstruction, military information, and supply assistance to all Taliban opposition. That offer included the US. However, an American government of extremists (black vs white thinkers) could only see every offer as an enemy seeking advantage.

Having ignored Iran's perspective; having seen everything in 'black vs white', then one would also see Iran conspiring in Iraq. Also as foolish is an idea that Americans could have closed the border. Close the border using military action? Completely mythical. Just another example of 'good vs evil' simplistic thinking. Those who learn of a world chock full of perspectives knew that border could not be closed militarily. The Iraq Study Group answered that question – had no problem identifying and answering strategically. An answer ignored by George Jr wacko extremists who only saw everything in terms of ‘good vs evil’.

Strategic decisions are way above my pay grade.

So why are you replying? richlevy and deadbeater are discussing strategic concepts. Deadbeater's question requires one to grasp a world of perspectives such as "but what do they see?", "what are they being told?", "what are their objectives and interests?", “what are their needs?”, and “what are their fears?”.

“Need to choose a side” ignores what those sides really are: wacko extremists or informed moderates. “Mission Accomplished” is a trophy of wacko extremism – in a world where everyone is expected to choose sides. “If you don’t agree with me, then you must be a commie sympathizer” was also called blacklisting in a world explained only in “spy v. spy”.