Irony is not always funny
Chillingly, the best tagline that Channel 10 could come up with for Black Hawk Down was "See how Eric Bana showed Hollywood what he was made of". And if the film disturbed you, try reading the book.
Mogadishu is one of the embarrasing events that the US Army would rather forget. And you hope that the chain of command learned some lessons. The Bush Administration and the interim Iraqi President tell us how things are going swimmingly (liberal paraphrase), but the fact is that many many more American soldiers have died than the 18 at Mogadishu. Many more westerners' mutilated bodies have been dragged around the streets on film than the one US Pilot in Mogadishu. You can negotiate with warlords because they don't want to die, nor do their followers.
You aren't in control if there are no-go areas. You didn't prepare properly if you are only negotiating border security months too late.
I would like to write more, and there is so much more to say, but what would be the point. Some time ago I investigated technology contracts in Iraq to be a part of rebuilding the people, no chance of that now.
The sad thing is that if the majority of Iraq want Sharia rule, to go to war with the West and all that the insurgents ostensibly stand for, then they are welcome to start a political party. Free elections are planned for early next year. Of course they must know that the majority don't support them. But Saddam Hussein demonstrated how effectively you can take a people in a direction against their will if you are willing to use violence to intimidate them and any would be rescuers. It's just a crying shame that the rescuers who had the guts to come, didn't think through the fact that they would have to stay a while to protect the people they rescued.
08:05 AM, 27 Sep 2004 by Mark Aufflick Permalink
Comparison is Odious
Mogadishu was a horrible disaster and, IMHO, it is a bit much to compare the current state of Iraq to it. Apart from anything else, rule of law did not apply in most of Mogadishu, that is simply not the case in Iraq. On the whole the people perpetrating these crimes will be caught and dealt with.
I am not in the slightest bit surprised that things are a long way short of perfect at this stage of the post-Saddam period and the number of deaths does not seem extreme to me (of course zero would be preferrable). I hope the current US administration is able to continue its work. I too would vote for Bush.
I wonder if you have been keeping up with the work of Chrenkoff? Well worth following!
Semi the RWDB from TramTown.
by Unregistered Visitor on 10/01/04
I'm not sure it's all that different
If you read full length reports from journos in the field, I don't know that it is all that different. Perhaps not the whole of Iraq, but in some key cities the situation is very similar.
While in 92/93 the whole of Somalia was a problem, Mogadishu is just one city (albeit the capital). It is not the entire situation I am trying to draw a comparison between—it is what the media (and us the public) focus on. The one single incident in Mogadishu that humiliated the US Army and forced Clinton's hand into withdrawing has parallels nearly every single day in Iraq.
It is true that there is not the incompetency of command, there is no issue with reluctance of other UN troops (since there are none). But what is, to me, striking is that the proportion of media response to the two situations is so different, when the proportions of the situations are not so different.
by Mark Aufflick on 10/03/04