[lbo-talk] Iraq & Northern Ireland

[Chris Doss]

Actually in that case the Chechnya analogy might be closer. You have a 
combination of a local insurgency with religious fanaticism and a liberal 
(probably) source of foreign funding. Then again the US attacked Iraq 
unprovoked wheareas Russia did not commit troops without pretty serious 
prompting, so I would imagine the "insurgents" have greater popularity at 
home than say Basayev does in Chechnya (the militants are supposed to have 
almost zero popular support at present, being blamed for starting the Second 
Chechen War and the mafiaization of Chechnya in the interwar period. 
Maskhadov is the only Chechen leader to do even worse on opinion polls than 
Kadyrov.).

On the other hand, it is much harder to actually stage terrorist attacks in 
the US from Iraq than it is in Russia from Chechnys for the obvious reason 
that Russia is not separated from Iraq by a big ocean.

I'm off to trundle my way home through the snow. tata.


>From: "Devine, James" <jdevine at lmu.edu>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
>Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] Iraq & Northern Ireland
>Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2003 07:07:19 -0800
>
>In applying these analogies, I wasn't talking about the _causes_ of the 
>counterinsurgencies but (like the article that was posted) about the 
>process of the counterinsurgency in Iraq and its likely outcome.
>Jim D
>
>	-----Original Message-----
>	From: Chris Doss [mailto:itschris13 at hotmail.com]
>	Sent: Tue 12/30/2003 6:46 AM
>	To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>	Cc:
>	Subject: RE: [lbo-talk] Iraq & Northern Ireland
>
>
>
>
>	Well, the US was not threatened by Iraq, while Russia had daily incursions
>	of armed bands from Chechnya stealing livestock, goods and slaves from
>	1996-1999, plus an invasion by 2,000 mujaheedin in 1999. Israel at least 
>has
>	the excuse of suicide bombers and being surrounded by potential enemies,
>	while the US has nothing but Mexico and the dreaded Canadian hordes. The 
>US
>	and Iraq is a case of unprovoked aggression.
>
>	>From: "Devine, James" <jdevine at lmu.edu>
>
>	>while we're playing the analogy game, what about the US vs. Iraq as being
>	>similar to Russia vs. Chechnya? Israel vs. Palestine?
>	>
>	>------------------------
>	>Jim Devine jdevine at lmu.edu &  http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine
>	>
>	>
>	> > November 17, 2003
>	> > The Newark Star-Ledger
>	> >
>	> >    COMMENTARY
>	> >
>	> >    Is Iraq America's Northern Ireland?
>	> >
>	> >    BY JOHN FARMER
>	> >    c.2003 Newhouse News Service
>	>
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