It's time to think outside the box concerning Iraq

[mmonk]

I believe it's time to appeal to Sistani or some other Shia leader into working out a political compromise concerning Iraq's constitution. That compromise should involve increasing Shiite representative numbers as long as minority rights are assured also in it. Otherwise, we are just digging a hole for our men and women over there. It's time to think on our feet in other terms than just increasing firepower which can turn this into a worse bloodbath. Just my two cents on this increasingly intolerable situation.

[pansypoo53219]

1. i say

we put a tried leader in power. i think they should put sadaam in.

[Walt Starr]

2. Sistani and Sadr are MEETING tomorrow

Too late to appeal to Sistani. He has already voiced solidarity with Sadr and the Sunnis have pledged loyalty to Sadr.

The Iraqi Declaration of Independence is even offering a high level of autonomy to the Kurds. If the Kurds join the Sunnis and Shiites, we're fucked.

[mmonk]

4. If it's too late

then dividing Iraq back into pre-British separate states would be the only solution left.

[Walt Starr]

5. Hard to do with everybody wanting the America "infidels" out

They may go that route once they get rid of us, but until then, they are uniting against the U.S.

I expect the "uprising" to spread to the North over the course of the next week,

[Minstrel Boy]

6. Can't America stop playing with the destiny of other nations?

Iraqis do not want to see their country divided. Three weak bantustans in the place of a united Iraq is precisely what the neocons want.

[mmonk]

7. Not until WE THE PEOPLE get our country back somehow.

[hexola]

3. Wi-Fi - !

I say we air drop 1,000,000 laptops and then maintain a free WiFi (wireless) net connection throughout all of Iraq.

[IrateCitizen]

8. My framework of a solution...

1. Immediately end all the special contracts, and bring in the UN to facilitate the rebuilding effort. UN team should be primarily a disperser of funds to local enterprises, thus drawing on the vast amount of technical expertise that exists in Iraq and significantly lowering unemployment in the process. This would undoubtedly go a long way toward reducing violence in the region.

2. Abolish the Coalition Governing Authority and place governance under an international/UN mandate. Empower local citizens' councils in neighborhoods and small towns to take over as many services as possible, with the primary support being to "pick them up when they fall down", thus encouraging the Iraqis, on a local level, to take a personal investment in the running of their own daily affairs. These councils sprung up in the aftermath of the invasion in many areas of Iraq, but were largely ignored because the represented true self-governance rather than vestiges of a puppet state. They are a tremendous untapped resource.

3. VASTLY reduce the military presence in the region. Cease all plans for permanent military bases. Bring in a small, international peacekeeping force that specializes in constabulary duties (among US units, only MP's would really qualify for this). Command of this force would rest with the UN governing authority, and timetable for withdrawl should be relatively short, resting on the establishment of local policing units tied in with citizens' councils.

4. On the regional level, the UN should be employed to get leaders from different regions talking to each other. Concentrating on improvements being made and areas of converging interest should be emphasized to them, in an effort to establish some kind of coalition. MAKE them sit down and talk to each other, with direct investment being tied to refrains from violence. If the leaders of different sects are talking to each other, chances are they won't be killing one another. And if they find areas of converging interest, in which they all benefit from working together, chances are they will not kill each other in the future.

Anyway, that's the first four points of my plan. I realize the likelihood of such a plan (based on altruistic realism rather than self-interest) being implemented is virtually nil, but it doesn't hurt to hash these ideas out so that when we protest against an ongoing military occupation and are asked, "Well, what would YOU do?" -- we have a thought-out answer to give in reply.