President Bush's New Plan and Informationalism

Here's an article I've been reading about the situation.

I have been perusing several articles dealing with George Bush's new plan for stability in Iraq. First of all I would like to say that I watched the speech, though not when he originally gave it, and I felt a degree of hopelessness in the air that I felt was unnecessary. President Bush has seen his doctrines fail to the point that his party has lost power, and his "new" strategy appears not new at all. Let me point out some of the key features, then I shall comment on their relationship to Informationalism and the plan I outlined only two posts ago.

1. The increase of troops by 21, 500 mostly in the Baghdad area.

2. A set of benchmarks for the Iraqis to achieve soverign security by November 2007.

3. Unrestricted warfare against the militias.

So what are we Informationalists to make of this plan?
I will first focus on what I feel is good in the plan. I have said earlier that unless we withdraw completely we must be willing to commence unrestricted warfare against the militias. I only suggested we needed an increase in troops, or the devotion of our current troops to special operations and border security.

That about does it for the good, now for the ineffective.

The benchmarks for the government do not seem to be a good idea. The government has failed to meet benchmarks in the past. The Iraqi government is headed by a man whose power base is in the Shi'a militas. He is currently using this position to commence unrestricted warfare only upon the Sunnis, and this amounts to ethnic cleansing.

I said we needed a troop increase, or we had to devote the other troops to special operations against militia leaders. This plan does not offer enough troops and does not seek special operations or swift operations. History teaches us that such an operation would need to be only days in length, with troops then securing the freed areas. This operation is planned to be long and drawn out, thus it will only generate resentment and fail.

Bush is now in such disfavor that he cannot address the main problem. Iraq's infrastructure is still devistated. People without jobs, food, water, or money will turn to anyone that will give it to them. This just happens to be the militias. They are suspicious of occupying forces and the Iraqi government, and they have right to be. If we launch another destructive operation that is sure to harm innocent civilians, we will only generate more hate.

Since it seems Bush is only barely going to get enough money to fund the operation, it is ludacris to think that congress will give him the money to go towards such a massive reconstruction effort.

In short, my Informationalist friends, this plan will only destroy more infrastructure and harm more civilians. It will increase violence in the short term, and then lessen it until we decide to abate, then it will return again. This plan, thus, is more of the same.