Start Warming up the Imperial March

[Tom_Aurum]

We've begun making our newest outpost of the empire, Iraq. I have little doubt that this war is going to end in anything excepting a U.S. victory. However, if you want to debate that possibility, here's a good a place as any. The question I want to ask is this. What do you think will be the eventual consequence of taking over Iraq? One year down the road? Five years down the road? Ten? Post it, no matter how far out there it is.

[Shinova]

After many decades, about 50 or 60 years, I think we might see a middle eastern Japan. After all, that's how Japan turned out and that might be what Bush wants in the future.

And it'd give the US a really good foothold in the mideast.

[Enlightenment]

Assuming (big if) that everything doesn't go to hell as a result of Iraq gassing Israel and the Israelis nuking the Middle East:

In the near future bin Laden will have an easier time recruiting nutcases to use as human cruise missiles. This will not be good.

In the medium term the US will have a secure base from which to take over Iran or Saudi Arabia so either second-term Shrubby could maintain his perpetual revolution, or a future president could wag the dog if and when domestic political needs require it.

In the long term my crystal ball gets cloudy.

[Joe]

I suspect there to be increased pressure on the U.S. to withdraw from the Middle East with the Iraq problem taken care of.

[Stormbringer]

This really belongs in Off Topic not SLAM.

[Col. Crackpot]

After many decades, about 50 or 60 years, I think we might see a middle eastern Japan. After all, that's how Japan turned out and that might be what Bush wants in the future.

And it'd give the US a really good foothold in the mideast.

in 50 or 60 years all of the oil will be gone and we will have moved on to fuel cells or god knows what and the middle east will go back to being a poor useless sand pit.

[Vympel]

You have to get rid of Islamic theocracies first, if you want that to happen.

Here's hoping Iran continues on the slow process to reform.

[Tom_Aurum]

Wait. I've seen plenty of threads having to do with global politics stay in SLAM. Why would this have to be shoved in the Off-Topic forum?

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

We've begun making our newest outpost of the empire, Iraq. I have little doubt that this war is going to end in anything excepting a U.S. victory. However, if you want to debate that possibility, here's a good a place as any. The question I want to ask is this. What do you think will be the eventual consequence of taking over Iraq? One year down the road? Five years down the road? Ten? Post it, no matter how far out there it is.

I'm still confused, Tom, by your use of Marxist jargon to describe the U.S. -- if this country really is "imperialistic," how is it that so many people are voicing the opposing political system's spiel?

Maybe there's a fallacy in there somewhere; I just find it ironic that we have legions of kids (primarily in college towns like Tempe) acting as if they're front-line soldiers in a war on democracy, when in fact most of their parents (or grandparents) spewed the same fallacious crap. What's really ironic is that, like their parents, these fools never noticed the bitter hypocrisy of their actions: using their right to dissent to fight for a system that takes away their childrens' right to dissent. Amazing.

[Next of Kin]

We've begun making our newest outpost of the empire, Iraq. I have little doubt that this war is going to end in anything excepting a U.S. victory. However, if you want to debate that possibility, here's a good a place as any. The question I want to ask is this. What do you think will be the eventual consequence of taking over Iraq? One year down the road? Five years down the road? Ten? Post it, no matter how far out there it is.

I expect the Americans to be in the region for the next twenty years to a) let the region stabilize after the war, b)protect American interests (i.e. civillians and corporations involved in the reuilding) and c)prop up the new regime.

Here's a scenario that I've been contemplating...do you think the U.S. will allow the Shi'ite population in the South to seperate and to form their own state? If yes, would it allow the Kurds to form a state? (these states would be allowed to form in time and not when the war was over)