Posted on 03/28/2008 12:22:04 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
I hope your friend stays safe. Just to note that the ex-US Green Beret Michael Yon reported from Basra last year and had a very different experience to that of your friend:http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=297:british-forces-at-war-as-witnessed-by-an-american&catid=63:archive-2007&Itemid=108
I have heard widely differing opinions on various allies in Iraq from literature and discussions with friends who have been to Iraq. I think the one constant is that these nations should be thanked for sending troops and facing dangers where so many others have not.
Which at the time imo was legitimate, although any feelings should have been kept quiet.
The British way in 2003-04 was the correct way for the British sector, but things change and perhaps we realised that too late.
Look, please lets not kid ourselves that either army, esp the US, is an introverted shrinking violet.US forces can be as bullish and cocky as anyone, so arrogance is hardly purely a British trait.
We are.
We are still pretty good at it, but you know what?.We are not perfect, we make mistakes, be it NI or Iraq. And we are doing a brilliant job in Afghanistan, again with not enough troops or equipment.
The main British problem in Iraq?. Not enough men and good material. And hamstrung by political consideration. If anyone has ‘lost’ Britain Basra, its Blair and Brown, Hoon and Browne, not the British squaddie or even the commanders on the ground in general.
We ran an empire and have been fighting terrorists since the days of the Fenian Raids into Canada, so we DO have a history and something to impart to other forces...
Again, right tactics at the time.
WHY do you hate the British so much?.
I would honestly and genuinely like to know.
Is it Irish Republican sympathy?.Or something else.
Yes, and it sums up their mistakes in a nice visual. While Americans were in full body armor, attacking the insurgents wherever they found them the Brits avoided confrontation and confined themselves to peaceful areas where there was little opposition. They still follow this tactic today and are down to a small area around the airport.
“Not enough men and good material.” Precisely. Compare the force levels needed to control Northern Ireland (a far smaller/less populated area than Southern Iraq). 4000-9000 troops to control an area of 4 million people was never going to be realistic. The US has had to pump huge resources and Iraqi forces into Cenrral Iraq to reduce violence there. In Anbar (an areas with abour 2 million inhabitants) 36000 US troops were deployed). Even so, the last few days have shown that Shiite areas under US control have exactly the same problems as those under British supervision.
I think that if Iraqi forces can tame the criminals in Basra (be it by tomorrow or in 2 weeks time) then a key corner will have been turned by Iraq. Uk forces haven’t cut and run. They are still in Iraq (and if the media is to be believed will remain their in similar numbers for a long time to come), capable of reintervention. Lets hope the Iraqis can do this on their own now (as they are similarly being tested in Mosul).
I have nothing bad to say about the brits. I would just say that in the last couple decades, something has overcome them. Socialist diminishment, perhaps. I don’t believe it’s the fault of the people, but the fault of the government they elected. I hope the pendulum is as far as it gets in that direction.
Socialism, lack of cultural pride, anti-religion, and lack of understanding and appreciation of their own remarkable history has weakened a once great nation.
It is happening to us, only on a smaller scale and a bit slower. England needs strong leadership, a strong leadership that can reignite a positive and forward thinking populace. They are not getting it, but what they are getting is a nanny state, PC silliness and lack of vision.
I very much admired Mrs. Thatcher, who saved England for a time. To this day, she is derided and disrespected in the media and in general. The English never appreciate people like her until they find themselves with their backs against the wall.
The difference between us and them is that our ace in the hole is the 2nd amendment, and American individualism. If we lose those things, we are not far behind.
I will be interesting to see what the British decide to do in this matter.
The UK and the US share an unbreakable bond forged through blood and years. It will survive this. I love the UK (spent a semester in Cambridge) and want a country I consider a brother country to succeed and prosper. Sometimes I sharpen a point too much. God Save The Queen!
True, but I bet you're not wearing your berets into battle this time.{8^D}
Sorry for the delay in replying. I appreciate your sentiments. I love the US and its people.
On a side note, I’ve read that the UK is now halting all troop reductions in Iraq until the end of the year at least and that over 150 British military advisors have moved back into Basra (I suspect British special forces have been in there all along).
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