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I have come to the conclusion that the Neo-Con view (and plans) for Iraq hinged more on a blind faith of sorts than on any realistic plans or expectations for security and success. I think their faith that the people of the Middle East positively hungered for liberal democracy, led the Neo-Cons down the garden path, a path that turned out to be filled with briars and brambles after the initial success of the military steamroller. The Neo-Cons in turn led the American people and military down that garden path.
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Yeah this was the extent of the committment that was made by many/most U.S. citizens. When the administration wanted to change that commitment, they did not seek a consensus and thus opposition to the changed commitment materialized. It was inevitable and certainly understandable.
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Can you point to any examples of genuine success after the initial phases? I can't. The closest thing might be the elections but those are deeply marred by the inherently flawed Constitution and the various examples of top Iraqi politicians using their power not for the benefit of Iraq as a whole but rather for promotion of their sectarian agendas - even cooperating with the death squads.
At this point I feel the administration used way too much spin and way too much faith in going to war. The cynical view is turning out to be supported.
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Here's a linky that outlines the accomplishments in Iraq from one point of view:
USAID - Assistance for Iraq
Might find it interesting.
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Thanks for the good and informative link. It's quite a positive actually, and nice to know that such efforts are being undertaken (along with some actual accomplishments). I did not even know that that organization was in existence. Unfortunately, I still doubt that such will be sufficient to overcome the factional strains and violence that are tearing Iraq apart. It's good to see some positives; I just think the larger picture is too darkly clouded to hope that Iraq will unify and become stable before a lot more violence transpires. I would guess the most likely scenario at some point in the future will be a Shiite-dominated Iran-supported state of Iraq incorporating a significant theocratic element (not a full theocracy but heavily influenced and guided).