4. The mistake here is to think the goal was meaningful democracy in any way, as opposed to a pliant Iraq with trappings of electoral system
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Replying to @HeerJeet
5. The thinking was that shock & aw would not only melt the Iraqi army but also cow the population sufficiently to go along with occupation
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Replying to @HeerJeet
6.
@normative makes the point that democracy in Iraq wasn't a realistic goal. That is almost certainly true but also, I think, irrelevant.4 replies 4 retweets 6 likes -
Replying to @HeerJeet
7. Goal wasn't democratic Iraq but a compliant Iraq. The damning thing about Iraq was was they couldn't even achieve a compliant Iraq.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
8. The people who did sincerely believe in democratizing Iraq often pointed to post-WWII Germany & Japan to say it was reasonable goal.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
9. Why was USA able to reshape Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan into (limited, flawed) democracies. Answer is actually complicated
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Replying to @HeerJeet
10. One big factor is the sheer scale of horror that was unleashed: firebombing cities & dropping atomic weapons will cow the survivors.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
11. But post-war German & Japanese elites also compliant because they feared USSR & later communist China.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
12. Fear of communism meant that the conservative (often fascist) elites in those societies were eager to work with American occupiers.
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@RaniaKhalek That's a fair point. In that sense war was a success. But I do think they wanted a stable compliant client state in Iraq.
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Replying to @RaniaKhalek
@HeerJeet I don't think they thought it'd be quite as lawless as it has become. Still, this is a logical outcome http://electronicintifada.net/content/do-america-and-israel-want-middle-east-engulfed-civil-war/6625 …3 replies 2 retweets 0 likes
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