Colin Powell: "Iraq Is In A Civil War And Bush Should Stop Denying It"

[Cypress]

Powell: Iraq Is In A Civil War And Bush Should Stop Denying It »

Speaking with CNN reporter Hala Gorani in Dubai today, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Iraq’s violence meets the standard of a civil war and thinks President Bush needs to acknowledge that. According to Gorani’s report, Powell said if he were heading the State Department right now, he would recommend that the Bush administration adopt that language “in order to come to terms with the reality on the ground.”


Watch it: CNN video at:

http://thinkprogress.org/

[bob]

first civil war should be finely defined

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_war

[uscitizen]

Umm the link you posted earlier had the definition in it Bob....

[bob]

Umm the link you posted earlier had the definition in it Bob....

lol... i know.. thats not what i ment, clarify what circumstances make iraq a civil war

[uscitizen]

According to your other link, the fact that we are there and are targets of violence is the only thing keeping it from being in all respects a civil war.
So if we left it would become a civil war even by that blog. So our presence in Iraq is TECHNICALLY keeping it from being a civil war.
But realistically......

[bob]

According to your other link, the fact that we are there and are targets of violence is the only thing keeping it from being in all respects a civil war.
So if we left it would become a civil war even by that blog. So our presence in Iraq is TECHNICALLY keeping it from being a civil war.
But realistically......

A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight for political power or control of an area. Political scientists use two criteria: the warring groups must be from the same country and fighting for control of the political center, control over a separatist state or to force a major change in policy

so do the insergents play a role in that too or is it just our beiing there keep it from being a civil war, most AQ arnt from iraq atleast acording to most

[uscitizen]

Well our civil war had outside players as well.
Just a technicallity, Bush has depended greatly on technicallities to legally keep from lying.

[Cypress]

Quit being a bush apologist, and trying to word parse a way to defend him.


Syria had 40,000 troops in Lebanon as early as 1976, yet the Lebanese civil war raged on for at least a decade more.

Your going to look like a fool now, if you try to claim Lebanon wasn't a civil war.

[bob]

Well our civil war had outside players as well.
Just a technicallity, Bush has depended greatly on technicallities to legally keep from lying.

wasnt talkng about our civil war.. but yes it did

so what are you saing just ignore technicallities ?

[bob]

Quit being a bush apologist, and trying to word parse a way to defend him.


Syria had 40,000 troops in Lebanon as early as 1976, yet the Lebanese civil war raged on for at least a decade more.

Your going to look like a fool now, if you try to claim Lebanon wasn't a civil war.

whos defending bush ? and i am not talking about lebanon.

this is iraq... what reason behind all the fighting going on there between the religious fations ?

[bob]

what are the benifis of calling it a civil war ? who dose it beifit ?

[uscitizen]

wasnt talkng about our civil war.. but yes it did

so what are you saing just ignore technicallities ?

I am saying that it might not technically be a civil war but the only reason it is not is because our foreign troops are in Iraq.
And yes in theis case ignore technicalities, live in reality, do not hide behind legalese speak.

[uscitizen]

what are the benifis of calling it a civil war ? who dose it beifit ?

Now that is a good question ?
Anyone know ?
Perhaps they would get more attention from the UN if we were not occupying Iraq and it was judged to be a civil war. I don't really know had not thought of that angle much.

[Cypress]

what are the benifis of calling it a civil war ? who dose it beifit ?

Number one, it's the truth. What is it about republicans and their aversion to truth? Honesty and republicans -- it's like Vampires and sunlight.

Second, we have to be honest about what it is - a civil war, because the military and diplomatic tactics one uses in a civil war are different than one would use in an insurgency.

[uscitizen]

Agreed it is the truth, but I suspect there are other reasons Bush does not the Iraq war to officially become a civil war. by international law, etc we might not be allowed to be in there or something.
I expect there are several ramifications politically / legally when this officially becomes a civil war...