Meeting With the Enemy Posted by Ilan Goldenberg

I find it a tad bit ironic and a whole lot more disturbing that the man who refuses to even talk to countries such as Syria or Iran, is willing to sit across the table from Sunni tribal leaders who have the blood of American troops on their hands.

I’m not a fan of the Anbar strategy.  I think what is going on here is the Sunni tribal leaders see an opportunity to align themselves with the U.S., better arm and organize themselves and eliminate AQI.  This way, they will be prepared to fight the Shi’a and turn against the central government later on.  That’s why the Maliki government has been opposed to this whole concept from the start.  But don't take my word for it just listen to what  Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch who is in Iraq thinks:

They say: 'We hate you because you are an occupier, but we hate al-Qaida worse and we hate the Persians even worse' Sunni militants refer to Iraq's Shiites as Persians, a reference to the strong links between Iraqi Shiites and the Shiites who predominate in Iran.

Still, I accept the fact that sometimes you have to deal with unsavory characters and cut unpleasant deals.  But for God’s sake, if you are going to cut this deal, do not give them a face-to-face with the President of the United States.  What kind of message does it send to American troops?  What kind of diplomatic message does that send to the world?  Let them meet with Crocker or Petraeus but not the President.  What benefit was there to that particular meeting (outside of PR)?  Did these guys really have to be in the room? 

Comments

[Cal]

I’m not a fan of the Anbar strategy. I think what is going on here is the Sunni tribal leaders see an opportunity to align themselves with the U.S., better arm and organize themselves and eliminate AQI. This way, they will be prepared to fight the Shi’a and turn against the central government later on.

I think the Bush administration has the same plan. We're teaming up with the Sunnis to fight the real enemy: the "Persians."

Bush is deliberately stoking sectarian tensions, and arming every military age male in the country. Anyone who thinks we need to stay in Iraq for "humanitarian reasons" is a fool.

[Dan Kervick]

You've got it Ilan. It's quite amazing - and right-wingers say it is the left that is given to stabs in the back.

There appears to be some sort of gene in the Bush family lineage that destines them to betray Shia Muslims. No matter how many times we lead them to believe we are going to help them achieve power in the country in which they are a majority, we yank it away in the end. Maybe it's all that youthful hand-holding between Texas and Saudi oil princes.

[cheap priston tale Gold]

my brother says priston tale Money is his favorite games gold he likes,

[buy Tales Of Pirates Gold]

I am so happy to get some Tales Of Pirates gold and the Tales Of Pirates money is given by my close friend who tells me that the cheap Tales Of Pirates gold is the basis to enter into the game.

[buy Tales Of Pirates Gold]

I am so happy to get some Tales Of Pirates gold and the Tales Of Pirates money is given by my close friend who tells me that the cheap Tales Of Pirates gold is the basis to enter into the game.

[rf gold]

I hope i can get rf online gold in low price.
i buy rf money for you.

[silkroad gold]

I hope i can get sro gold in low price.
i buy silkroad online gold for you.

[aion kina]

I am so happy to get some aion kina from my friends. They know I need aion online kina, they give me.

[Anarchy credits]

My friends and I like to buy Anarchy credits, because the Anarchy Online credits is very useful to upgrade equipment. Only your equipment becomes better, then you can win this game.

[cheap coach handbags]

Thank you for your sharing! I like i very much!

[cheap r4i karte]

I would say that as an Iraq war veteran, who is very much opposed to the war, I'm totally appalled that W continues to say that we have to fight Al-Qeada and the insurgency in Iraq in order to prevent them from attacking us here at home. While at the same time he goes over to Iraq and meets personally with Sunni tribal leaders who have the blood of American troops on their hands. And to add insult to injury W shook their hands.

[Hampaiden Kotivalkaisu]

Still, I accept the fact that sometimes you have to deal with unsavory characters and cut unpleasant deals.

[Liushuanglin198606]

ugg boots clearance On my Egypt Air flight yesterday to Cairo, I witnessed one of the more intriguing in-flight exchanges that I can remember. A bearded, well-dressed man sitting a few seats behind me began shouting at the flight attendant. He was complaining that the in-flight movie was inappropriate. What are these “offensive images?” he asked. These included a 15-minute stretch of the movie where at least one woman at any given time was wearing a bikini. In a couple of scenes at a club, members of opposite sexes were dancing in close proximity while, it appeared, consuming alcoholic beverages. “Are we really all Westernized now?” the man behind me asked,ugg boots clearance as if posing a question to those of us in the back of the plane.

The man’s arguments were rather interesting. He pointed out that if you took a poll of the passengers,ugg boots outlet most would agree the film was morally offensive. He asked the attendant, “if we ask the passengers what they think and they agree with me, then what will you do?” The attendant responded, “we don’t take public opinion (ra’i al ‘am) on the airplane.” The man was right: most passengers, and most Egyptians – the vast majority of whom don’t drink, go to clubs, or wear bikinis – would object to the film’s content. But at what point do they have the right to restrict minority expressions of unfaithfulness?ugg boots clearance

It was an odd, amusing exchange that justified the otherwise unpleasant experience of flying on EgyptAir.ugg boots clearance But it was a reminder of the fundamental lack of consensus in the Arab world over the boundaries and limits of the state. There are two groups – Islamists and secular elites – with worldviews which couldn’t be more different. They live parallel lives in parallel worlds, with parallel institutions. They rarely intersect.ugg boots clearance One group believes it has both history and the Egyptian people on its side. The other side, considerably smaller in number, likely has neither. It does, however, have the power.

This stalemate has paralyzed the Arab world for decades now.ugg boots outlet

Sunday’s elections will be just another version of this.ugg boots clearance The main players are the Muslim Brotherhood – populist, religious, and righteous – and the regime coalition which, with its president soon to pass, finds itself in an uncertain place. Both sides are strong in different ways – and weak in others. Neither seems to have anything resembling a coherent strategy for dealing with the impending transition that is soon to come.

ugg boots clearance