First the tragedy, then the farce

[bemildred]

You have to wonder what guys like George Bush and Stephen Harper are smoking. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan rages on with no end in sight while they make speeches about winning. Meanwhile, the military is telling us that they are losing. A recent U.S. Marine Corps report on the situation in Anbar province west of Baghdad said that the battle was lost there and that Al Qaeda has filled the vacuum.

Other analysts have reached the conclusion that the insurgents are learning and adapting to situations much better than the allies. From all appearances it seems evident that the invasion of Iraq has proven to be a great catalyst for spreading the influence of radical Islamists throughout the region.

Whether this was the intended outcome or not is a good question. It certainly runs counter to the stated purposes of the war but, on the other hand, as long as the war continues either in Iraq or in one place or another, there are fortunes to be made from providing the supplies and support to keep it going. There are also political advantages if one can use fear tactics and support-the-troops chest-beating effectively to control public opinion.

The same applies to the situation in Afghanistan, which after all is really just another facet of the war in Iraq, and which has at least the same potential to suck up lives as the Iraq theatre is doing.

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