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unlucky ones fell into the hands of the guerrillas along with their families. What happened next was not nice...

Time works against the occupier. The longer the war goes on the more discouraged his people become and the less likely it is that Iraqi of any substance will support the occupation. They have to live there after America has gone home.

What about the Shia, I hear you ask? Will they not help the Americans? Well, they haven't up to now, have they? All they have done is sit back and leave the westerners to do the fighting for them. Just hoping that the Shia will fight for America is a sign that the war is lost, because it means that the outcome does not depend on the USA, it depends on one faction within Iraq siding with America. This is a bit like King Richard of York at Bosworth Field, waiting for Stanley to arrive so that he could defeat Henry Tudor. Stanley arrived, but he sat on the sidelines and watched the Yorkists go down to defeat. Richard ended up dead, his corpse stripped naked and then dragged from the field by a horse to the jeers of the victorious army.

Actually, the American position is even worse than Richard's was all those years ago. He was only in trouble if Stanley refused to fight; the Americans are doomed whatever the Shia do. If they continue on the sidelines then the guerrillas will tire the invaders into submission. If they join in the fight and win, then their Iraq will probably side with Iran in future. Either way, America's plan of a privatised Iraq that will recognise Israel and allow its economy to be raped by all and sundry is down the toilet. It should be obvious to even the most bovine supporter of the chimpanzee who currently occupies the White House that the matter is now out of America's hands. All they can do now is decide the manner of their defeat.

Viewed in this light, the notion that America can do something tactically to save her position in Iraq is ludicrous. So long as the Iraqis are willing to continue fighting, then America's position will continue to weaken. The Iraqis have shown no signs of tiring and their tactics have improved as the war has gone on. The Americans have nobody to even negotiate with, so time becomes the key factor - and time is on Iraq's side.

Learn more about this author, Kenneth Bell.
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