Korea and Iraq
Last week W. compared Iraq to the Korean War. The implication of which is that we have been there for 50 years and it still isn’t rosy, but it is stable. There are many flaws to this argument, and I don’t like hunting for fowl that are maimed and captive. There is an interesting point that Arianna Huffington planted in my mind, however. In Korea, we were viewed as a counter-balance to Soviet Communism that was wrecking the country. We were there to help the Koreans beat back the red scourge.
Arianna gave this as a reason that this conflict is so different. But I would take it a step further. We are the force that Iraqis feel needs to be counter-balanced. AQ is the counter-balancing force. Can they win, probably not, but they will ensure stalemate. They will keep the US from achieving their goals in the region. I like the Red Dawn analogy. I’m not sure that it is perfect, but it does capture the essence of the nationalism argument. Even if the US had a dictator (whoops) I would fight to the death any invading force that tried to determine my national destiny for me.
Tags: Bush's FUBAR War
My post touches on the Korean thing actually so that works out well…
Even if the US had a dictator (whoops) I would fight to the death any invading force that tried to determine my national destiny for me.
Don’t be so sure. If the US had a dictator and a coalition of European/Japanese/Australians came in to assist …?
Did we determine the “national destiny” for South Korea? Only by enabling them to ward off the Communists. If they decided to elect a committed socialist and wanted us out of the country, do you think we’d refuse — and/or invade?
I don’t think Korea works as an analogy because Iraq isn’t as geographically divided as Korea was. Iraqis (specifically in Baghdad) are all intermixed, making it harder for us to “stand between” the two sides.
We are the force that Iraqis feel needs to be counter-balanced. AQ is the counter-balancing force.
Most Iraqis don’t like al Qaeda either, and we need to make a better case that this is an Iraq fight.
Good point Ryan…Korea is a homogenous society; Iraq has at least 3 ethnic groups that cannot stand each other.
If N. Korea just gave up tomorrow, the South would be able to absorb it, ala West Germany.
Either way, Bush just makes shit up.
Bush was not making Korea the same as Iraq, not by a longshot.
He was making the case for what our military involvement in Iraq will look like in years to come. He is proposing a smaller garrison type force which serves as a ‘trip wire’ element. In Korea it keeps the Communists at bay and in Iraq hopefully it would keep the Iranians et al. at bay also.
Well the number of forces in Korea is not insubstantial. Also, how long would we be there to keep the Islamofascists at bay, Mike? A decade? 2 decades? 5 decades? If that’s what we are talking about. let’s debate it and get it out there.
I think we have 35,000 in Korea.
You assume I support the “Korea” approach to Iraq. I don’t.