Related Information to Post War Iraq

Post War Iraq - Page 55

The feel I get from the Iraqi bloggers that I occasionally read is that most Iraqis ARE happy with the way things are going. They recognize that this is an interim government, while the democratic/republican forms are organized. The vast majority (over 80%) of the people are not happy that the "insurgents" (mostly foreign terrorists) have been trying to upset things.

Iraq War Post

AP Story

Army Recalling Thousands Who Left Service
Jun 29, 9:20 PM EDT
By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Digging deeper for help in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is recalling to active duty about 5,600 people who recently left the service and still have a reserve obligation.

In a new sign of the strain the insurgency in Iraq has put on the U.S. military, Army officials said Tuesday the involuntary callups will begin in July and run through December. It is the first sizable activation of the Individual Ready Reserve since the 1991 Gulf War, though several hundred people have voluntarily returned to service since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Unlike members of the National Guard and Reserve, individual reservists do not perform regularly scheduled training and receive no pay unless they are called up. The Army is targeting its recall at those who recently left the service and thus have the most up-to-date skills.

"This was inevitable when it became clear that we would have to maintain significant combat forces in Iraq for a period of years," said Dan Goure, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think tank.

The Army is pinpointing certain skills in short supply, like medical specialists, military police, engineers, transportation specialists and logistics experts. Those selected for recall will be given at least 30 days' notice to report for training, an Army statement said.

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We're not officially out of there for a long time.

As to Saddam, I think he will either be killed or will be "freed" -- taken from U.S. custody, somehow. I heard that he will stand trial in Iraq on Thursday, but can't find the link for that....

Roz

Post War Iraq History & Civil Business Politics

This call up is really historic. For those who don't know, if you enlist in the military you incurr a six year obligation. Most people actually enlist for less, 2, 3 or 4 years. Your enlistment can end when the 2, 3, or 4 year obligation ends, but officially there remains a period of time in which you can be called up. You are separated, but not discharged. I don't think anyone has ever been called up once they went into this inactive reserve status.

No one really ever gives it a thought. It is just an obligation on paper. This isn't being in the reserves like you might think. There is no training or drill involved. You don't really make a choice to remain in the reserves. There is no choice. Finding these people could prove a challenge as well. To my knowledge there is not an obligation to keep the government informed of where you are and since they don't pay you or anything, I doubt they will have anything more than your home of record on file at the time of your separation. I am not sure because when I was in the military women didn't have this six year obligation, just, just men. Now, anyone who enlists incurs it.

Page 55 Iraq War Post

I have difficulty understanding why the US needs more troops in Iraq. The Americans already have over a 140,000 troops in Iraq, these troops are supported by the most modern spy/enemy detection equipment in the world, the best air fighting machines on the planet and still the US is getting it's donkey kicked by a bunch of insurgents equipped with ancient equipment and no central command.The US is unable to fulfill it's international obligation to protect the Iraqi people. Why??

Now we hear that the US will be there for years to come. I quess the Americans intend to protect what they believe is theirs (iraqi oil) at any cost. A very sad situation.

The good news for the American people is that the American kangaroo court set up in Iraq by the US and led by selected American puppets should distract the American people for a while and provide good TV /news rating.

Iraq War Post

The call up isn't about putting more troops in Iraq. It is about being able to bring home the ones that are there now.

Post War Iraq

So is it possible to talk about today's events without saying "Oh how the mighty have fallen"? Apparently not. The last time we saw him, Saddam looked somewhat crazed, his hair was wild, beard uncut, not the image we had seen for so many years. At the height of his power, Saddam was on Iraqi TV every day. He would be seen greeting visiting dignitaries, or meeting with the Revolutionary Council, or in those clips that American TV runs over and over again, firing a variety of weapons into the air. Then there were the pictures of him when he was captured. Today there were cameras in the courtroom, a courtroom on an American base, and Saddam looked somewhat better, still has the beard but at least he got a haircut.

This morning in our regular meeting, our producer in Baghdad said that when tape of Saddam in court today ran on al-Jazeera, all of our Iraqi employees stopped in their tracks, mesmerized by what they were seeing. It's hard for us to comprehend how Iraqis must feel when they see these pictures. Correspondent David Wright will report on today's proceedings, and all of the difficulties ahead in trying to create a justice system at the same time trying the man who effectively destroyed the old one, and all of this while the security situation in the streets is still out of control. Security today was very tight, and the tape from the courtroom was reviewed by American military censors in part to make sure that the faces of the Iraqis involved in the trial did not appear on camera, for their own safety.
Ref. Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff Nightline Offices

Post War Iraq - Page 55

I hope all of your troops will be able to go home soon or at least have the number in Iraq decrease.

Post War Iraq Politics Business Civil & History - Page 55

Our troops are in a bit of a catch-22 in Iraq. The interim government we installed would not likely survive very long without the protection of our military, yet the very presence of our troops is what fuels the insurgency and terrorist attacks. Many ordinary Iraqis understand the necessity of a peacekeeping force, but at the same time they have suffered many casualties and indignities at our hands. Much of the world -- and the Arab world in particular -- is distrustful of our motives in Iraq. There are real questions of legitimacy surrounding the interim government, and questions of credibility concerning the Bush administration's rationale for the invasion.

It is in all our best interests for a stable, peaceful Iraq to emerge from the violence and uncertainty that now prevails. Whether or not this can be achieved by the U.S. military is one of the fundamental questions. It seems certain that our troops will remain targets as long as they remain in the country, and how long they will remain is on most everybody's mind. I fear that the catch-22 situation will perpetuate our presence -- we can't leave while the insurgency rages on, and the insurgency will rage on as long as we stay.

We crossed the Rubicon last March, and we can't escape the situation we have created. And considering that we are building 14 permanent military bases in Iraq, I sincerely doubt we have the intention to leave anytime soon. Whether or not this is a good thing is certainly a topic for debate.