You realize, of course, that your service in Vietnam or Iceland or wherever does not make any of you any sort of expert on Iraq and what is the best way to succeed there.
The members of the Iraqi Army realize that if they kill, wound or maim a fellow Iraqi, the word might get back to that person's family and they would take revenge. So they would prefer that the Americans do the killing. Eventually, Iraq will end up being run by the most foolhardy Iraqis with the militia or army that best protects its own from reprisals.
The Americans will never decide by force of arms how Iraq's resources will be divided among the Kurds, Sunnis ands Shiites. This will be done by Iraqis, probably not Iraqis in the Iraqi Army. Once one group attains control, then the deals will be made, most of them involving trickery. It is when the companies who want to buy the oil appear that trickery occurs. Tricksters like James Baker will appear
and brave but ignorant sheiks will be duped and deluded. If they catch on and kidnap the tricksters, they will be accused of terrorism, of course.
An American who dies in Iraq has died for no purpose.
He might have lofty reasons, he might be exceptionally brave. But he will not have made Iraq a democracy and he will have died for no purpose. Sad but true. Read it and weep.
