I'd say this reach out by the new Iraqi leadership is as important of a milestone as any of the elections were. My biggest worry is I wonder if those who are so used to carrying out violence as a means to make their point can live a life without that kind of depravity.
the problem with this is that there is no 'side' that we're fighting. the groups are so highly decentralized that you can't take the actions of a few as representative of the whole. these groups don't talk to each other that much, because if they did they would radically increase their chances of getting caught.
and, while some are resigning, some civilians are getting family members blown up and thus wanting to blow us up.
I think you make an interesting point about the de-centralization of the various groups oppposing the U.S. presence in Iraq. I do, however, think that overtures like this represent a significant moment in the development of post-war Iraq. If some groups commit to ending violence as a tactic, it will further isolate those that continue to pursue it. And the Iraqis are not dumb people. They know that they are far more likely to be killed by an Iraqi insurgent than by any action taken by the U.S. They know who the real enemy is.
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I'd say this reach out by the new Iraqi leadership is as important of a milestone as any of the elections were. My biggest worry is I wonder if those who are so used to carrying out violence as a means to make their point can live a life without that kind of depravity.
the problem with this is that there is no 'side' that we're fighting. the groups are so highly decentralized that you can't take the actions of a few as representative of the whole. these groups don't talk to each other that much, because if they did they would radically increase their chances of getting caught.
and, while some are resigning, some civilians are getting family members blown up and thus wanting to blow us up.
John -
I think you make an interesting point about the de-centralization of the various groups oppposing the U.S. presence in Iraq. I do, however, think that overtures like this represent a significant moment in the development of post-war Iraq. If some groups commit to ending violence as a tactic, it will further isolate those that continue to pursue it. And the Iraqis are not dumb people. They know that they are far more likely to be killed by an Iraqi insurgent than by any action taken by the U.S. They know who the real enemy is.
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