Der Spiegel: Today's Must Read On Iraq

Two snippets below from an eight page Der Spiegel article on Iraq. h/t Ace

Page 4

Those who believe that a speedy withdrawal of US troops would result in the problem capable of resolving itself are deeply mistaken. Though this premise might have rang true in late 2003 or early 2004, when terrorism had not yet stirred up the infernal forces of religious hatred, the situation today is different.

In the Iraq of 2007, that is, in its capital Baghdad, the respective factions in a future civil war are forming along religious lines, and so far only the Americans have been able to prevent it from happening. If the forces in Washington that are demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq prevail, the country will descend into full-fledged civil war, complete with reports of horrific religious cleansing operations, large-scale massacres arising from the blind fury of fanaticism and acts of revenge against anyone who has ever dared to cooperate with the Americans.

Page 8

Every child in the city knows the story of how, on May 16, 2007, terrorists attempted to stage a massive attack. Using four car bombs, they first blew up two bridges across the Tigris River in the city's northwest. A short time later, three other car bombs exploded in front of the headquarters of the district police. They, too, were packed with explosives, ripping craters into the ground the size of swimming pools. An eighth bomb struck a police station in the southeast. The attackers followed each of the bombings with an assault with rockets, machine guns and Kalashnikovs. It was clear, on that May 15, that the terrorists were intent on scoring a major coup. But they failed, and in doing so they lost their war.

The Iraqi police officers and soldiers, who until then had not been expected to perform well in combat, threw themselves into battle. Even the wounded refused to be carried off the battlefield, continuing to fight as best they could. Heroes were born on that day in May, the kind of heroes that the entire country sorely needs -- not Sunni, not Shiite, not Kurdish or Assyrian or Turkmen heroes, but Iraqi heroes.

Comments

[Purple Avenger]

Having lost Der Spiegel, can LeMonde be too far away? Democrats must be terrified by this.

[templar knight]

I read the entire article, and enjoyed it immensely. It is perhaps the first time anyone from Europe has taken an objective look at Iraq. And our soldiers. They made me very proud. Is there anyone, anywhere, who would do what they are doing? Hell no is the correct answer.

[wjo]

Does The Nation know about this article? It so interferes with the "dark and depraved enterprise" meme they have been running with on Iraq. Of course, to The Nation, the only good war is one America loses so the Revolution can begin, man.

I've said it before and will say it again: war is, in essence,a contest of will. We can only lose in Iraq if we give in to the Jihadi thugs.

The slaughter of innocents by al Qaeda should prick the conscience of all persons of goodwill. These monsters and their twisted inhuman ideology must be destroyed.

[Terry Gain]

Good question Purple Avenger but the better question is how far can BoobInStamford be from a nervous breakdown?