What Is Iraq’s Largest Humanitarian Organization?
Joshua Foust on Apr 15 2008 at 2:08 pm | Filed under: Around the Web, Notes on the war
Moqtada sl-Sadr’s Army. This implies something very significant: much like how Hezbollah and HAMAS maintain enormous humanitarian operations that undercut the central government and keep their support base strong, al-Sadr has a reputation among the millions of Iraqis misplaced by our war that will not be easy to overcome. It’s too early to compare JAM to either movement, but the development is a bad one. This is one of those rare cases where we want the Iraqi government to be providing for its citizens to the exclusion of non-government groups, otherwise its legitimacy is further undermined.
Sphere: Related Content
Your Ad Here
7 Responses to “What Is Iraq’s Largest Humanitarian Organization?”
Trackback URI | Comments RSS
The United States military is Iraq’s largest humanitarian organization.
Whose side of the bread are you trying to butter here?
This is one of those rare cases where we want the Iraqi government to be providing for its citizens to the exclusion of non-government groups, otherwise its legitimacy is further undermined.
This must be part of why you thought the surge had no chance of success, since it was the United States cutting out the central government of Iraq and instead making deals with the Sunnis personally.
An unjust central government does no good for the goals of America’s Constitution or Declaration of Independence, and it sure as heck doesn’t solve any humanitarian or US security problems. Then again, since you invest all your marbles on central government control, instead of a just rule and representation of the people, Sadr’s organization will naturally be seen as being superior, even though such an organization was created on the bones of the people he killed in the war that he started.
Your question is offensive. What is this, 2002? I don’t interact with people who resort to such cheap shots as an opening tactic.
Then respond to me, though hey, I thought you said cheap shots were okay on the internet?
The US military is the largest Humanitarian Org., and funny, despite the tone of the article I doubt from the figures sited that Al Sadr even finishes ahead of the Iraqi government.
Lance, you and I both know there is a fine line between being snotty/snarky and taking potshots at someone’s patriotism. I might poke at the certainty of some warbloggers, but I don’t call into question their patriotism or integrity. I thought this was intuitive? Maybe?
Anyway, the Refugees International report makes the claim that the Sadr militia (used as a shorthand for the various militias operating in Iraq) is “Iraq’s largest humanitarian organization.”
They report that these militias provide services the U.S. military has never been able to provide reliably, like electricity, while U.S. efforts to build autonomous power stations have the effect of punting people off the government grids. The Mahdi army also resettles vastly more people free of charge, far in excess of the paltry 7,000 or so Iraqi refugees we’ve bothered to acknowledge (the negligence of the refugee population is, I think, one of the biggest and least acknowledged stains on our honor in Iraq).
Sunni militias also play similar roles in their areas of influence, according to the report.
But the bigger problem, buried in the WaPo report but highlighted repeatedly in the actual report, is how these ignored refugees have radicalized and how locals complain when they join various militias, including the Awakening groups we now fund and arm, they are far more militant than the original or turned members. More ominously, such men have a deep-seated and quite understandable mistrust of the government, and vow violence against Shiites.
Now, the U.S. military’s humanitarian efforts aren’t mentioned, but from the report they were examining “largest” in terms of numbers helped. The Army can’t hope to reach the number of people the Sadr groups can, especially while there remains active combat against both Sadr and other militia groups. The U.S. government, like in Afghanistan, is skilled at talking a pleasing game by promising vast sums of aid, then tossing it down the drain either on unmonitored government officials or simply never paying up.
In other words, without concrete evidence to the contrary, I’m actually not certain that in a practical sense the U.S. military is really the largest humanitarian organization in Iraq. Simply saying it is so doesn’t make it so.
Your question is offensive. What is this, 2002? I don’t interact with people who resort to such cheap shots as an opening tactic.
Since I didn’t call you a liar, fat, or some such thing about your personal trait or non-existent traits, what is the big fat problem, Josh?
Lance, you and I both know there is a fine line between being snotty/snarky and taking potshots at someone’s patriotism.
I’m sorry to tell people this, but the integrity of a person’s character, his honor, and his virtues such as honesty and courage, are every bit as important as “patriotism” which is his loyalty or love of his nation, the nation that butters his bread that is.
In the Olden Days, or the Golden Days depending on how much nostalgia you are willing to indulge, calling someone a liar or dishonest or deficient in character was justification for a duel to the death. Calling someone a traitor is a bit more serious, yes, but not in those terms.
The Mahdi army also resettles vastly more people free of charge
I aplogize for the multiple comments, but everytime I think I’m done with Josh’s comments, I read some that is just too outrageous.
I really never realized that resettling Shia in Sunni areas that have been depleted and cleansed by Sadr death squads can be characterized as “humanitarian”. It just never occured to me. Serious here, people.
(the negligence of the refugee population is, I think, one of the biggest and least acknowledged stains on our honor in Iraq).
I’m not sure adopting Sadr’s “humanitarian” methods would remove those “stains on our honor” in Iraq.
Wait, did I say “I am not sure”. I meant, “it will never remove those stains, just add to them”.
Now, the U.S. military’s humanitarian efforts aren’t mentioned, but from the report they were examining “largest” in terms of numbers helped.
Only God knows how many people were really helped. And if you aren’t omniscient, then you just have to rely upon philosophical axioms and logic to determine which side has helped more Iraqis, the US-Iraqi legit govs or Sadr and Iranian funded and influenced operations.
In other words, without concrete evidence to the contrary, I’m actually not certain that in a practical sense the U.S. military is really the largest humanitarian organization in Iraq. Simply saying it is so doesn’t make it so.
Since you and I have different definitions of “humanitarian organization”, let’s just say that your beliefs, whatever they may be, have no relevance here to the United States medical and infantry corps conducting humanitarian missions.