The War in Iraq - Your Opinions On The Situation

[anthony]

Why is that mac? It is a topical issue within the world, one in which every person is entitled their opinion, and others must respect one anothers opinions, not try and change one another to suit ourselves, but just respect one another.

 

[Scott_Fraser]

I think that whatever George Bush does, Tony Blair does as well. Like I said before. Bring all our troops home, let the Iraq's sort the mess out. Afterall they are killing each other and getting our boys killed into the bargain. Enough is Enough.
Scott

 

[anthony]

Yep... and don't leave out John Howard, as he seems to be getting on the boat more and more, using less and less commonsense, which is what got him elected in the first place, and for so long at that... old age is getting too him now.

 

[reallydown]

Just a question for the military guys out there...to what extent do they (whereever you happen to be from) familiarize soldiers with international law (I mean the jus in bello...Geneva Conventions but also the UN Charter's prohibition on the use of force) before deployment?

 

[Scott_Fraser]

The UN Charter is a load of "Bull" to put it politely. The UN is a complete waste of space, its more of a talking shop for highly paid diplomats than anything else, like an Exclusive Gentlemans Club, if you like.
Scott

 

[anthony]

When you deploy RD, you deploy under what is called Rules Of Engagement (ROE), each military force will have certain ROE types, just as the UN also have one. Basically what an ROE card is, is the laws of what you can, and cannot do, in a specific operation depending on what they classify a zone to be. For example: aid missions may be no weapons, or if weapons are present, the lowest ROE meaning there is no direct enemy. It obviously steps up from there to warlike situations. The UN have standard laws in which are given to every soldier deployed within a UN mission, which outline the laws of conflict for that operation. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes they change, depending on each situation uniquely.

So, soldiers are briefed and made aware of the laws of conflict to an International level, and they carry them upon them in a brief form if under UN control.

 

[reallydown]

Thanks for your answers Scott and Anthony.

 

[lumberjack]

Iraq, veitnam(sp),spanish war,second world war, or what ever one you can bring up,its all the same and it will happen all over agian. It doesn't matter who the superpower is or has been , when the boss wants to send a message the young men and women will go. Rules of engagement are for the winners and they chose to apply them,,,,just my two bits....mj

 

[Scott_Fraser]

There is a saying by the old Prussian General, Von Clauswitz, just before Waterloo, which says. "War is the continuation of a Country's Foreign Policy by other means".
Agreed we went into this war with good intentions, to rid the world of a vicious Dictator. But why in 1991 at the end of the 1st Gulf War, did we stop!
The road to Bagdad was open and clear of all enemy troops. Their best troops, The Republican Guard, were wiped out on the road to Basra. We could have ended it then, British and American troops could have been in Bagdad that evening if we just kept going. I know, I was there and I was bewildered as to an order that did not make any sense. Then all of this waste of lives now wouldn't be happening. End of Story. Ask George Bush Senior why he decided to stop.
Scott

 

[anthony]

Even though it wasn't Bin-Laden at that time they wanted, if your talking about Bush senior as to why they stopped, my guess is because of their family ties as business partners to the Bin-Laden Group.

 

[reallydown]

"Bring all our troops home, let the Iraq's sort the mess out. Afterall they are killing each other and getting our boys killed into the bargain. Enough is Enough."

Scott, I agree that it is tragic that all those soldiers (British. American etc) are getting killed in a war waged based on lies...the way Bush and Blair (and others) play with the lives of their own sodliers and their families is disgusting.

Having said that, I beleive that those who helped bring this mess about should also help to clean it up...And also, any time a country is invaded, no matter how 'noble' (gettign rid of dictators, bringing democracy etc) the reasons, the fac t is that the people, under international law, have a right to self-defence and that they will fight those they see as occupiers...just my two cents

 

[mac]

It appears the consensus agrees it SUCKS! Let's stop beating a dead horse...:wall: