Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - new wikileaks cache of defense department documents about iraq

Slims · 10-17-2010, 05:40 PM

I think these documents should not have been released. However, I don't think they will endanger US troops or Local Nationals to the same degree of the Afghanistan leaks.

For better or worse we are winding down our involvement in Iraq and the country has a (mostly) functioning government and a less active insurgency.

I argued different for Afghanistan because we are still very much at war in a country largely controlled by the Taliban. Any information leaked is information given to our enemy who will use it to their advantage.

The Iraq leaks will still cause damage, but are less likely to get sources executed or American Soldiers killed.

That said, the Military is an institution that was given a very complex problem. If you bust out the pitchforks every time you find documented evidence we have made mistakes the Military will be unable to prosecute future conflicts due to fear of witch hunts following their conclusions. These leaks were the reports available theatre-wide (just like the Afghanistan Leaks) and represent incidents the Military documented. If they were trying to hide or look the other way following mistakes they would not have been so thoroughly databased.

War is Chaos, you cannot expect everything to be rainbows and butterflies.

These reports will almost definitely consist of tactical decisions and ground-level reporting. I don't think the reporting will prove to have any relevance on your final question regarding whether the war was fraudulent and/or illegal.

As far as I am concerned we had a cease fire agreement following the first Gulf War that Saddam Hussein broke in every way possible. Doing so invalidated that agreement and gave us the right to resume hostilities.

Just because some people in this country latched onto bad information does not invalidate that fact.

10-17-2010, 05:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	I think these documents should not have been released. However, I don't think they will endanger US troops or Local Nationals to the same degree of the Afghanistan leaks. For better or worse we are winding down our involvement in Iraq and the country has a (mostly) functioning government and a less active insurgency. I argued different for Afghanistan because we are still very much at war in a country largely controlled by the Taliban. Any information leaked is information given to our enemy who will use it to their advantage. The Iraq leaks will still cause damage, but are less likely to get sources executed or American Soldiers killed. That said, the Military is an institution that was given a very complex problem. If you bust out the pitchforks every time you find documented evidence we have made mistakes the Military will be unable to prosecute future conflicts due to fear of witch hunts following their conclusions. These leaks were the reports available theatre-wide (just like the Afghanistan Leaks) and represent incidents the Military documented. If they were trying to hide or look the other way following mistakes they would not have been so thoroughly databased. War is Chaos, you cannot expect everything to be rainbows and butterflies. These reports will almost definitely consist of tactical decisions and ground-level reporting. I don't think the reporting will prove to have any relevance on your final question regarding whether the war was fraudulent and/or illegal. As far as I am concerned we had a cease fire agreement following the first Gulf War that Saddam Hussein broke in every way possible. Doing so invalidated that agreement and gave us the right to resume hostilities. Just because some people in this country latched onto bad information does not invalidate that fact. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence Last edited by Slims; 10-17-2010 at 05:47 PM..