"All we have to do is leverage the close populations against them"

[Roguish Lawyer]

How do we do it?

Does the presence of a significant number of U.S. troops in the Middle East make this more difficult? Impossible?

Was the use of conventional troops in Iraq a mistake?

Feel free to modify the topic or add sub-topics if you want.

[2VP]

I'm not sure you can provide a stable environment without the use of conventional troops. Without that stable environment then nothing else will happen ie elections, schools, power, re construction. I think it is the situation where the American policy makers need to balance a little bit of this with a little bit of that.

[Jimbo]

We show them that we're better, but do it in a way that will make them emulate us instead of hate us. There is ethnic and national ego involved here, so diplomacy and tact are of paramount importance.

[Roguish Lawyer]

Originally posted by Jimbo
We show them that we're better, but do it in a way that will make them emulate us instead of hate us. There is ethnic and national ego involved here, so diplomacy and tact are of paramount importance.

Are conventional troops capable of this "diplomacy and tact"?

[2VP]

From my limited experience our troops are, so I can't see why yours wouldn't be. Granted the environment was far less hostile and its a different situation.

These things take time though. We are finally getting out of Bosnia over 10 years later. The ground work for a stabile community is there but under the right circumstances it could explode again.

[Solid]

As ever, the media illustrates Army 'tact and diplomacy' by showing numerous clips of Army, or Marines for that matter, sacking houses for apparently no reason with no repayment for the damages they cause. Of course, this is the media. I would be interested to know, however, how much this kind of thing goes on.

Thank you,

Solid