[lbo-talk] Chomsky on ending occupation (organization or "total Chaos")

[Bryan Atinsky]

>From: "Charles Brown"
> CB: I have not really seen it demonstrated that the Iraqi's do not , right
> now, have organizations capable of administering society, and that if the
> U.S. were to get out right now there would be "total chaos".

The problem in Iraq is not that there aren't organizations capable of
administering society, it is that there are several of them.  You have a
well armed population (not in comparison to the US, but enough for a
sustained civil war), a Shia majority that wants one form of rule, a Sunni
population that is used to leaders from its ranks being in power, and a
Kurdish population in an oil rich region who would like their own territory,
which neither the Sunni nor the Shia would be interested in letting go of
(or for that matter the Turks).  And this is just the major power groupings,
saying nothing of how each of them break down into competing tribes and
factions, secular and religious interests.  And this also doesn't include
the regional power interests who would like their say in how Iraq's will
look religiously, ethnically, politically and militarily.

Added to this are the pent up pressures from thirty years of Saddam's rule
being suddenly released.

If there was a lack of power concentrations or power was totally diffused
throughout the society, that would be a better scenario, but when there are
a multitude of power bases with possibly competing interests, that makes
things much more volitile and complicated.

I am definitely not saying that I think that the US Army occupation will
uncomplicate this situation (I think, perhaps, it increases the problems),
but I do believe that any realistic solution must really take these factors
into account.