Yet another "Islamic Republic":

[Theophylact]

Afghanistan. Secular? Fuggedaboudit.

Next stop: Baghdad...

[M_Six]

Yep, and a week after the US pulls out it'll go right back to the Afghanistan we've all come to know and love.


See: Vietnam

[ClubMed]

Isn't this what choice is about? Isn't this what the war was about, to give them the freedom to choose? Or was the war about preventing the people from choosing Islamic governments in particular?

[Epidemic]

As long as that choice is not a top down choice thrust upon the people by powerful religious leaders or war lords.

There is choice and their is choice.

Remember saddam won last election by 100% and the one before that by 99%

I think it is clear that was really not the peoples choice. But it was the only choice they could make and live.

[M_Six]

Absolutely they have a choice. No question about it. I just have my doubts about theocracy and democracy mixing well. Like oil and vinegar, it's great when it's all mixed up and working together, but given some time, things tend to separate into very distinctive parts.

I also do not believe the US backed gov't will last long, no matter what their platform. They'll always be seen as puppets and will be overthrown before the dust from America's pullout settles. IMO.

[ClubMed]

Epidemics reaction is the one I expect, the moment people choose an Islamic government non-Muslims immediately assume it has been thrust down their throats. I understand the idea behind this opinion, after all Islam has a bad reputation and so do the pseudo-Islamic governments that are no way near being real Islamic governments, because if they were, then they would be forced to treat the citizens like human beings, with civil rights, checks and balances, freedom and all the concepts that are laid down in the religion.

The fact that modern day pseudo-Islamic governents are opressive, shows that they are not truly Islamic, they opress their people despite the Islamic teachings wich demand the opposite.

As fas as Aghanistan is concerned, the new government seems to be weakening and collapsing, I read in an article today that a new UN mission has been sent there to try and help the interim government to survive, so the future is unknown still.

[Theophylact]

ClubMed, if you believe that the war in Iraq was to give the Iraqis freedom to choose whatever government they'd like, you're sadly mistaken. The war was to project US power directly into the Middle East and allow the US to reshape the political map to its own liking. (As for Afghanistan... we just want it to go away.)

First of all, the Iraqi Kurds want a separate state; they don't want to be part of Iraq at all. They're not going to get that option.

Second, "Ambassador" Bremer is already imposing, single-handed, a post-war economic structure on Iraq, including a flat tax that the Republicans can't get in the US.

Third, almost any Iraqi government that's not merely a US puppet is bound to be anti-Israel, whether it's secular, "Islamic-republic" or Sharia and that's unacceptable to the US. (Oh, I grant you that's what's going to happen, because we're too cheap not to get out and let things collapse; but it's not what the "hard-nosed optimists" like Wolfowitz intend.)

[ClubMed]

I know Theo, I was merely being sarcastic in my first post in this thread

[Epidemic]

CM, I did not say it was thrust down their throats. I merely stated that I would not consider it to be them choosing if it does get thrust down their throats.

[ClubMed]

I know what you meant Epidemic, sorry if I misquoted you, wasn't my intention.