Multi Medium

I Think You Should Be More Explicit Here In Step Two…

March 20th, 2007at 09:57pm Posted by Eli

Crooked Timber posts something that is perhaps unintentionally revealing…

Last night’s edition of BBC’s flagship programme Newsnight contained fictionalized scenarios from the future of Iraq prepared by a pessimist… and an “optimist”—Brendan O’Leary of the University of Pennsylvania. Brendan is an old friend of mine, but, as an adviser to the Kurdistan regional government, he’s been a keen promoter of something like the “decent left” agenda. His “optimistic” scenario has Iraq descending even further into the mire of sectarian killing, US withdrawal and Iranian and Saudi invasion … but then the character who utters his script tell us: “we were at the brink, and then, for some reason—a miracle—we stepped back”.

Yes, on the one hand, this is exactly the same kind of deluded magical thinking the Bushies practiced in lying us into Iraq - not only was Saddam a dangerous genocidal maniac with enormous stockpiles of nukes and Scary Biochem Weapons that he was preparing to give to his good buddies in al Qaeda, but the invasion and occupation would be a cakewalk, with the Iraqis laying down their flowers and candy just long enough to snap a Jeffersonian democracy in place.

Essentially, O’Leary is admitting that the only way we can have a positive outcome in Iraq is if a miracle occurs. I think his analysis is spot on.

Entry Filed under: Iraq, War