Bush's Orwellian Boogeyman only carried out 10% of the attacks in Iraq

[goodboy]

The Other 90% carried out by ordinary Iraqis.

Weaver: Zarqawi’s Death 'Significant' But Not 'Decisive' in Ending Iraqi Insurgency

Interviewee: Mary Anne Weaver
Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor

June 9, 2006

Mary Anne WeaverMary Anne Weaver, a veteran Middle East correspondent whose biographical article on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is in the current issue of The Atlantic Monthly, says the killing of Zarqawi "is significant, but I don't think it's decisive." Weaver, who was an Edward R. Murrow Fellow two years ago at CFR, says Zarqawi's organization was only responsible for 10 percent of the insurgent attacks in Iraq.

"While Zarqawi's attacks were the most spectacular, while Zarqawi was probably one of a number of key figures who actually played a crucial role in fanning sectarian warfare, curiously the other groups are the ones which mainly targeted U.S. troops," says Weaver. With Zarqawi gone, it is important to know whether his group will "continue targeting Shiites, particularly civilian Shiites, or will it refrain itself—reprogram itself is a better word—and begin attacking coalition forces?"

You have an article on the life of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the current issue of The Atlantic Monthly that you researched a few months ago in Jordan and elsewhere. What do you think is the significance of his death?

Obviously it is significant, but I don't think it's decisive. It was a symbolic victory more than an ideological victory vis-à-vis what Zarqawi did. He certainly was the most brutal perpetrator of acts of terror in Iraq, but I think it's also necessary to keep in mind that he actually only committed some 10 percent of the total number of attacks.

Where does that 10-percent figure come from? I've seen that elsewhere also.

When I was in the Middle East in March, I talked to a number of intelligence officials in both Jordan and Israel. They first gave me the figure. It was later confirmed to me by a senior American officer who had served in Iraq.

And the other 90 percent of the insurgent attacks come from local Iraqis, is that your impression?


Exactly.


I guess Shrub is gonna have to find another boogeyman for his little brownshirts to rally behind, huh? Who could it be>

<>

[Philosoraptor]

1. The neo cons made a punk into a Batman Super Villain.

The other 90% are "insurgents", "terrorists", "dead enders", anything but the local people.

These brown people who live over our oil are actually not really human so it's o.k. to kill a few of them, much like the Navajos.

[goodboy]

2. and how many "NUMBER 2" 's have we captured so far? I've

lost count.


And this identification of the enemy in this manner is one of the 14 points of fascism:

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

Nobody ever mentions the fact that these Iraqis want their country back. They want us to stop bombing them, shooting them, torturing them, and they also know that our very presence is what is drawing any terrorists into the country that were most certainly NOT there before.

[goodboy]

3. we made zarqawi what he was. He didn't go to Iraq until we did.

Just like all the other "terrorists"

We made Iraq a terrorist breeding ground, and destabilized the entire region. Now, of course, we (I mean progressives and intelligent people and non-fascist christian taliban) predicted it. As bad as Saddam was, he kept those "terrorists" out and kept the country from turning into what we've made it by our illegal invasion. This is not "sectarian violence" this is down right civil war. How many terrorist bombings did you hear about in Iraq before our invasion? I'll tell you, 0. Nada, none, Nyet, zilch.

Saddam ruled with an iron fist, ok. fine. But there was no civil war, there were no terrorists operating there, there was religious freedom, potable water, electricity, and relative safety - as long as you didn't cross the line. At least in a dictatorship, you know where the line is, and as long as you don't cross it, you're prolly ok.

Name this person:

1. I killed my own people
2. I've used weapons of mass destruction
3. I invaded a sovreign nation
4. I control what the media can report to the people
5. I associate with "terrorist nations"
6. I steal from the poor and give to the rich
7. I consolidate wealth and power.
8. I am involved in rampant cronyism and corruption
9. I keep my people in line using fear.

[goodboy]

4. and to think...all those terr-ists are just plain old Iraqizoids who

just want us to stop killing them