[Marxism] Iraq

[Gary MacLennan]

I agree with Fred on this and with Philip too. I think like Fred that the 
Americans are encouraging chaos.  But like Phil I do not think that was 
their original intention.

  I feel that at the moment  chaos is the least worst option for the USA in 
Iraq.  Of course they would rather that the fantastic world they create  on 
Fox News and CNN was the real world, but it isn't. So to stave off the 
worst of all possible worlds - a defeat- they have resorted to an ad hoc 
encouragement of chaos.

Their one significant gain - quietism from the Shiites and complicity from 
Ayat Allah Sistani has been bought at a terrible price.  They are handing 
Iraq over to the mullahs, something Rumsfeld said they would not do. But 
even that will bring no peace. We now know that the resistance is not going 
away and that the price of collaboration with the invaders is now too high 
for a sustainable pro-imperialist state to emerge.



In the mean time Iraq spirals down into an ever bloodier mess, and Blair 
arrives with his helicopter guard and claims democracy is going to 
happen.  He says this standing beside a murdering and a torturing strong 
man - Allawi.  But significantly he says it from inside the Green zone.  He 
dare not stroll down Haifa street saying it.

Both he and Bush are making it up as they go along and thankfully the 
public are beginning to realise that.

Also a final thought on the comparison with Vietnam.  I now think that the 
Americans are in a much worse position. The coming defeat in Iraq will 
exact a terrible price.The imperialist ambitions of the ruling class in the 
States will be dealt a terrible and possibly fatal blow.

regards

Gary

Dr Gary MacLennan
Lecturer
Film & Television Discipline
Creative Industries Faculty
Gardens Point Campus
QUT
Brisbane 4001