|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Should we partition Iraq?
Yes- this problem was caused by the British when they used force to set false boundries.
Will using force to redraw those boundries now work? It was the british partition of india that has helped lead to the problems with India and Pakistan (helped, obviously divisions between Hindu and Muslim populations were a major cause). |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Should we partition Iraq?
The British have always, as a matter of policy, done things this way. The principle is that basically, the more you set the stage for the conquered to be at each others throats, the more likey you are able to exploit the situation indefinately. It's proven effective many times. Look at Isreal. Before the Zionists got control of Palistine, it was the British who gave land grants to the Yemenese so they would go and live there. Before that, hardly anyone lived in Palestine.
Anyway, to the matter at hand, I do think that failure to allow the Kurds, Sunnies and Shia to split into separate independent states peacefully would be a mistake. It's going to happen one way or the other. Might as well kill as few people as possible. I don't think the Sunni's will go along, though, because as a minority, they are going to get the short end of the deal, and this after being the special privileged group under Saddam. Any way you cut it, there may be civil war. The more I study this, the more I think it was poorly thought out from the beginning. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
How about \"not at all\" ?
[ QUOTE ]
Before the Zionists got control of Palestine ... the British ... gave land grants to the Yemenese so they would go and live there. Before that, hardly anyone lived in Palestine. [/ QUOTE ] Wow. What a howler. Let's just say you made a bad joke and it crashed. And move on. [ QUOTE ] The more I study this, the more I think it was poorly thought out from the beginning. [/ QUOTE ] I guess you are referring to the whole Iraq snafu. Well, better late than never, for ya. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Re: How about \"not at all\" ?
Well Cyrus, seems I heard that in a blurb somewhere during a documentary about the period of the British Mandate. But, alas, I can't find any documentation. The closest I could come was this page with a link to this one .
I agree, though. The information I put out is flawed in some way and I'll be happy to say it was a failed bad joke and go on. Thanks for challenging it. It was interesting reading this morning trying to look it up. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Should we partition Iraq?
[ QUOTE ]
It was the british partition of india that has helped lead to the problems with India and Pakistan (helped, obviously divisions between Hindu and Muslim populations were a major cause). [/ QUOTE ] Yes, that partition didn't go well. The lines were drawn hurriedly by the British rulers without much input from the residents. Millions of people moved from Pakistan to India or vice versa, and millions died in subsequent rioting. One cause of these problems might be that the partition occurred after withdrawal of British authority, and the newly formed governments couldn't keep order. The more I hear about this situation, the more it seems that Iraq will split up. If we begin negotiations with local leaders now, we may be able to avoid the kind of violence and subsequent war that happened in India. We can negotiate borders with local input (Kirkuk and possibly Baghdad may have to be given special status, with US or UN protection). We can let people move to whichever country they want to live in before the situation degenerates into total anarchy after the US leaves. It's obviously not optimal, but it's certainly better than civil war. |
|
|