Comments on: Basra Confusion http://www.captainsjournal.com/2008/04/22/basra-confusion/ News & Commentary on Warfare, Policy and Counterterrorism Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:13:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: batman http://www.captainsjournal.com/2008/04/22/basra-confusion/#comment-25503 batman Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:14:35 +0000 http://www.captainsjournal.com/?p=1056#comment-25503 Thanks for the responsive post, but frankly its as clear as mud. If the criminals have been cleared from the streets and some degree of normalcy returned to the lives of citizens, that would appear to be a good thing and also a feather in Maliki's cap. If the IA has been able to obtain control over the ports, which are apparently a lifeline for Iraqi commerce, that would also seem to be a significant development, strengthening the central govt and the Iraqi economy overall at the expense of criminal gangs. If the IA can limit the smuggling and diversion of oil and return those revenues to the central govt, that would seem to simultaneously strengthen the govt and rob the criminals that were running Basra of an important source of funding. If the Iranians are backing off supporting the mafia that was stealing the oil, running the ports, terrorizing the people, and openly attacking U.S., British, and IA forces, and are now placing their bets on SIIC, which is at least functioning within the democratic institutions, then that would seem to be a positive development. If SIIC are indeed as some suggest, also Iranian puppets, then I would contend they are better than the Mahdi Army, for obvious reasons. They may try to establish a federal system and exercise greater control of Basra oil, but at least they were not stealing it outright, killing U.S. and British forces, and wreaking havoc across the land. SIIC may be friends of Iran, but the gangs that have been running the south appear to be outright Iranian proxies, if not actual Iranians, trying their best to undo Iraqi democracy. If they have pulled back, whether because of the strength of the IA, or even because Iran directed them to do so, seems to be a significant development. Why we can't get good information about what is going on is beyond me. Thanks for the responsive post, but frankly its as clear as mud. If the criminals have been cleared from the streets and some degree of normalcy returned to the lives of citizens, that would appear to be a good thing and also a feather in Maliki’s cap. If the IA has been able to obtain control over the ports, which are apparently a lifeline for Iraqi commerce, that would also seem to be a significant development, strengthening the central govt and the Iraqi economy overall at the expense of criminal gangs. If the IA can limit the smuggling and diversion of oil and return those revenues to the central govt, that would seem to simultaneously strengthen the govt and rob the criminals that were running Basra of an important source of funding. If the Iranians are backing off supporting the mafia that was stealing the oil, running the ports, terrorizing the people, and openly attacking U.S., British, and IA forces, and are now placing their bets on SIIC, which is at least functioning within the democratic institutions, then that would seem to be a positive development.

If SIIC are indeed as some suggest, also Iranian puppets, then I would contend they are better than the Mahdi Army, for obvious reasons. They may try to establish a federal system and exercise greater control of Basra oil, but at least they were not stealing it outright, killing U.S. and British forces, and wreaking havoc across the land.

SIIC may be friends of Iran, but the gangs that have been running the south appear to be outright Iranian proxies, if not actual Iranians, trying their best to undo Iraqi democracy. If they have pulled back, whether because of the strength of the IA, or even because Iran directed them to do so, seems to be a significant development. Why we can’t get good information about what is going on is beyond me.

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