Ackerman on the Training Farce

Speaking of Spencer, his Nation article based on his reporting in Iraq is finally out and about. " Training Iraq's Death Squads," is a good title and gives a general sense of things. Also this:

The militias hardly command the loyalty of every policeman. But police commanders warn that sectarianism has seeped thoroughly into the security apparatus, and it threatens to undermine everything McNellis and his colleagues have accomplished. The professional police they desire may instead become a sharper instrument of sectarian fury.

Right. Politics always comes first. Really well-trained security services do not a pluralistic democracy make.

Comments

Re "Really well-trained security services do not a pluralistic democracy make"
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Sure. Just look at the Nazis.

Posted by Don Williams | May 21, 2007 6:15 PM

Israel is not viable as a state if it requires our govt and media to lie to us in order to go to war with arabs. and give up our civil liberties.

Posted by wes | May 21, 2007 9:01 PM

wes, please explain how the viability of the Israeli state relates to the point of the post, i.e. the farcical nature of our attempt to train local Iraqis that repay the favor by helping to get our troops killed. I agree that our govt under Bush has resulted in a net loss of civil liberties, but, again, I'm not seeing the Israel angle. Please advise.

Posted by fnook | May 22, 2007 12:03 AM

The modernization of police forces and their methods - somewhat coincident with the industrial revolution - were major advances in our modern pluralistic society. The Nazis would not normally be considered an advancement in those methods.

What is going on in Iraq unfortunately has more to do with modern war fighting doctrine then modern policing. Unless the Iraq government gains an enforceable monopoly on the use of force, policing methods are a little beside the point.

Posted by russell120 | May 22, 2007 1:35 AM

The WH's political needs drove this from day one. When they scrambled to rebuild the Iraqi army and police, while battling Sunni insurgents, who did they think they were getting? Which Iraqis were going to be motivated enough to take the risks? Bush's need to "stand them up" ASAP for his own purposes meant that the US effectively built forces of militant Shia. Why is anybody surprised that we're facing all this today?

Posted by Jim M | May 22, 2007 9:23 AM