ARTICLE: Leaving Iraq Is a Feat That Requires an Army, By MARC SANTORA, New York Times, October 8, 2009
This is why all the talk--way back when--about a quick withdrawal out of Iraq was a complete myth.
Some sense of perspective:
The scale of the withdrawal is staggering. Consider a comparison with the Persian Gulf war in 1991: it lasted 1,012 hours, or about six weeks, and when it was over, Lt. Gen. William G. Pagonis, in charge of the Army's logistical operations at the time, wrote a book, "Moving Mountains" (Harvard Business Press Books, 1992), about the challenges of moving soldiers and equipment in and out of the theater.He called the undertaking the equivalent of moving all the people of Alaska, along with their belongings, to the other side of the world "in short order."
When China has the logistical and political muscle to engage in interventions on this scale, then it'll be a true superpower. Until then, we'll celebrate its ethics-free "soft power."
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Comments (1)
Slightly OT, but in the vein of withdrawal from Iraq: I came across this article from the NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/middleeast/04sensors.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=explosive%20detection&st=cse
The short version: A cultural aversion to dogs leads to Iraqi leadership being taken by some snake-oil salesmen as they try to protect themselves from bombs.
Just one of the many cultural hang-ups the Iraqis will need to get over if they intend to truly secure their country. I see one benefit of increased connectivity as decreased mysticism.
Posted by Andrew in DC | November 9, 2009 10:57 AM