This country is not ready for democracy. It's not ready for security or even for stability.

The people have too many issues with each other. They have too many issues for democracy or security or even stability.

Under Saddam Hussein, Iraqi women had responsible public jobs. Since the invasion, their situation has become as repressive as anywhere in the Arab world (and that's saying a lot.) The pseudo-feminist neocons who screamed about the "rape rooms" and the Hussein brats' unsavory sexual practices should consider the fact that those atrocities, as horrible as they were, directly affected a very small fraction of Iraqi women. The imposition of sharia law affects every woman in the country.

No guns in the hands of every gaurd just means they loose out....that greatens the threat of more dead innocents.

stupid, stupid, stupidity....

Look we can't fix there shit. Maybe we can, but no one wants to devote the energy and money and lives neccesary to force Iraq to behave according to Western standards of behavior.

And it will have to be forced - brutally. WE arm the female guards and give the women jobs - and if anyone so much as looks at one of these women the wrong way - then they're shot or sent to jail for decades. If the women who would consider or prefer to work are gonna be attacked by others in their group for being un-ladylike - then WE have to stop the attackers. And I don't think it could be done by pamphlets and lectures and training films and coddling.

I mean its probably do-able but they have so many issues of their own to deal with over there. And it doesn't matter if those issues were started by centuries of Western colonialism and abuse - the issues are now theirs and theirs alone to deal with.

Liken it sort of to an adult who suffered terrible abuse as a child and is now riddled with tons of destructive behaviors - to himself and others. Yeah the parents/guardians were monsters but now the only person who can really help him with his issues is himself.

Pull out and let them sort it out themselves. Let them all know that they better keep their bullshit (yes, including even the bullshit we're responsible for) within their own borders because if any of it comes to our shores we're just gonna bomb everybody for a few days. Cruel I know, but seriously what the hell is anybody supposed to do when the very people of Iraq are looking to fuck themselves over willy-nilly for any possible reason?