"Its NOT a civil war!"

[Cypress]

"Its NOT a civil war" is a common refrain we've heard from Bush-fans for three years.

It's just sectarian violence, or at worst a low-grade civil war (whatever that is). Certainly no one can claim its a full on raging civil war....can they?:


Metrics:

-4.2 Million Iraqi refugees (internally and externally displaced)*
-150,000 iraqis dead-minimum (2006 estimate by Iraqi Government - number does not include iraqi army deaths, coalition soldier deaths, or insurgent deaths)**

*http://www.unhcr.org/iraq.html
**http://www.boston.com/news/world/mi...10/iraqis_estimate_civilian_deaths_at_150000/


How would that level of violence translate proportionally to a country the size of the United States?:

-Approximately 1.5 Million dead americans (minimum)

-Over 40 million american refugees, internally and externally displaced

Does 1.5 million dead americans, and 40 million american refugees sound like a "low grade" civil war, or just random sectarian violence?

 

[Cancel7]

"Its NOT a civil war" is a common refrain we've heard from Bush-fans for three years.

It's just sectarian violence, or at worst a low-grade civil war (whatever that is). Certainly no one can claim its a full on raging civil war....can they?:


Metrics:

-4.2 Million Iraqi refugees (internally and externally displaced)*
-150,000 iraqis dead-minimum (2006 estimate by Iraqi Government - number does not include iraqi army deaths, coalition soldier deaths, or insurgent deaths)**

*http://www.unhcr.org/iraq.html
**http://www.boston.com/news/world/mi...10/iraqis_estimate_civilian_deaths_at_150000/


How would that level of violence translate proportionally to a country the size of the United States?:




Does 1.5 million dead americans, and 40 million american refugees sound like a "low grade" civil war, or just random sectarian violence?

Wow, no, we wouldn't even reconize this country.

 

[Cypress]

Wow, no, we wouldn't even reconize this country.

I actually think Bush apologists did this country a diservice, for denying it was a civil war for so long. In fact, I think they harmed this country by doing so.

We should have recognized it was a civil war a long time ago. The tactics, strategy, and diplomacy one would use in a civil war is substantially different that those one would use for an insurgency or guerilla war.

I think Bush apologists actually got more americans killed, by their partisan denials of a civil war. If we had all agreed early on that it WAS a civil war, presumably we could have implemented strategies early on that are appropriate for a civil war.

 

[uscitizen]

Civil wars must have "insurgents".
Otherwise they are so civil they are not a war.