Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.
TOP TOPICS
- Combat in Baghdad left 15 more insurgents dead, further demonstrating the futility of attacking American troops in Iraq.
- JK: It's mail call at CBFTW blog, by a soldier serving in Mosul. You'll get very straight answers to a whole bunch of questions, and some of those answers will surprise you.
- Kidnapping is becoming the sine qua non of terrorists in Iraq, with the director of an Iraqi construction firm and a senior Egyptian diplomat the latest victims.
Other Topics Today Include: suicide bombers job troubles; the Army considers a new strategy in Iraq; Iraq's government faces a new challenge; Carnival of the Liberated; reaping what the Philippines sowed.
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
- Arthur Chrenkoff takes a look at evidence many suicide bombers in Iraq aren't that thrilled with their line of work.
- The Army is looking at the possibility of reducing its visibility in Iraq, a decision that might reduce the risk of inciting Iraqis to take up arms against the occupation while increasing the perceived legitimacy of the Iraqi government.
IRAQI POLITICS
- Iraq's new government will hold a three-day conference this week to begin the process of creating the permanent Iraqi government. Expect al-Qaeda and former Baathists alike to do their best to disrupt this conference in hopes of derailing the new government.
THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
- Australia's Foreign Minister emphasized the painful truth of Spain and the Philippines' decision to withdraw from Iraq in the wake of terrorism: encouraging terrorists to try even bolder stunts in hopes of garnering even more favorable results.
- The Carnival of the Liberated is out, and, as always, well worth a look.
- The Belmont Club takes a look at the repercussions of the Philippines' decision to ransom their kidnapped truck driver. It's not a pretty picture.
- Amir Taheri examines the cynical attempts to undermine Iraq by turning it over to the UN. (Hat tip: Trent Telenko.)
ETCETERA
- The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!
- Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!
Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know.
"Combat in Baghdad left 15 more insurgents dead, further demonstrating the futility of attacking American troops in Iraq."
Given domestic reaction, I'd think attacking and killing American troops was damn effective, actually. Not to mention that their kidnapping a few individuals has made whole countries withdraw.
You didn't mention the number of American dead nor casualty, for some reason, Andrew. That's a pretty odd omission. And it's not a good way to honor our honorable dead. (Last night's PBS listing of our dead named twenty dead, but that might,of course, not be the same week.)
I'd say that for every week that we lose ten or more casualties, the enemy is not being futile at all. If we lose five, they're not being futile, much as we like it not. I'm unhappy about that, but I don't think it's going to be ignored.
The wheels look like they are about to come off the Iraq operation. Over budget, over-extended on tours, under-supplied on basics like bullets and vests, and "successful" battles against insurgents creeping into the suburbs of Baghdad. I'm for America and always been behind the military, but you guys don't seem to have been around the block enough to hear military propaganda when you hear it.
Things are not going well on a purely military level in Iraq. Their fighters are roaming freely amongst the populace in Baghdad itself and taking over whole neighborhoods. Our Iraqi forces are only marginally effective.
We got a serious problem over there, I'm about ready to write it off. Doesn't seem that even Petreaus could salvage that botched job.
We are in big trouble in Iraq. The insurgents have taken over Fallujah and Ramadi. They're working hard on Baqubah, Samarra, and Mosul. The Kurds and Turkomen are fighting over Kirkuk, and the Kurds are coming to the conclusion that we're not going to help them against Turkey. The Shi'ites control Najaf, Karbala, Kut, and Sadr City. The government seems not to control the western suburbs of Baghdad.
We are in big trouble, folks. Our Arab allies are hedging their bets and cutting deals with the guerillas and the Iranians. This is a bad situation.
For a little perspective, go back to the real world.
Iraq is a newborn baby. True, it has a lot of enemies gathered around its crib, trying to kill it. But for a newborn, it is rather precocious, and has ways of fighting back. As Iraq grows it will become more deadly and efficient in fighting its enemies, the terrorists from Iran, Syria, KSA, etc.
Things are not going well on a purely military level in Iraq. Their fighters are roaming freely amongst the populace in Baghdad itself and taking over whole neighborhoods. Our Iraqi forces are only marginally effective."
This is simply not true. Iraqi forces have dramatically improved in the last few months, many neighborhoods are being cleaned up, and we win every engagement with an increasingly desperate and marginalized enemy.
For more on the reality in Iraq, go to:
http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com
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