Afghanistan is the bad war, Iraq the good, says White House co-ordinator

[sabra]

Source: UK SundayTimes

<snip>

For years Iraq appeared to be a country spiralling deeper into violence and anarchy with no end in sight to the war, while Afghanistan boasted a popular president, a stable capital city and an insurgency that was no match for US and Nato forces.

According to David Satterfield, America's Co-ordinator for Iraq, the roles may have now been reversed, with violence dropping markedly in Iraq, the economy improving and the first signs of real political progress between rival sectarian and ethnic groups.

By contrast, violence in Afghanistan is growing, divisions are deepening between key Nato allies with forces on the ground and the Taleban is becoming bolder and more deadly with support from militants across the border in Pakistan.

...

“I think that in many ways Iraq may be seen to be the good war, the success story with all reservations and cautions that are appropriate. And Afghanistan the much more threatening, bad picture," said Mr Satterfield.

...

"It is the nature of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has many deficits not present in Iraq. Iraq is a wealthy country, it has resources, badly used, but it has resources," he said. It is rich. Iraq, for all its difficulty in unifying politically, has many quasi-democratic, recognisable political forces. Afghanistan has warlords," he said.



Read more: http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3243599.ece

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:crazy:

[apnu]

1. Afghanistan is 'hard werk'

:sarcasm:

[gratuitous]

2. Oh just wait a couple of months

And Afghanistan will once again be the good one, while Iraq is the bad one. It's kind of like the "two shirts" theory of wilderness survival.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. so they haven't bothered to find Osama Bin Ladin

why?

[khaos]

5. Because they already know..

where he is. Osama Bin Ladin was never a target; should be obvious by now..

[denem]

4. Iraq: The Ethnic Clensing is Mostly Over

The US stood by and watched it, then armed the Sunnis so they could protech 'their' areas. We've heard nothing on this. The first person to mention it was Biden. Another Million dead we the US watched.

[Alpharetta]

6. When the oil flows, I'll believe Iraq is sorted out

The so-called success in Iraq is a lie. The oil isn't flowing -- despite what the PR tells you. Iraq's pipelines aren't flowing and the oil companies aren't putting money into Iraq because they know Iraq is not sorted out. It's just a lull in the fight between Shiite, Sunni and Kurd, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

[bemildred]

7. Grabbing at straws. nt

[babydollhead]

8. "There is no such thing as a good war or a bad peace"

Ben Franklin