Iraq: Cash or Cause?

[DogOnPorch]

Abu Nawall, a captured al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, said he didn't join the Sunni insurgent group here to kill Americans or to form a Muslim caliphate. He signed up for the cash.

"I was out of work and needed the money," said Abu Nawall, the nom de guerre of an unemployed metal worker who was paid as much as $1,300 a month as an insurgent. He spoke in a phone interview from an Iraqi military base where he is being detained. "How else could I support my family?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1902022_pf.html

I found this to be rather interesting...much like many wars and many armies...one must use mercenaries when the 'rah-rah' patriotism wears-off. Combined with bin Laden's recent plea for unity in the ranks of the insurgents makes me think that perhaps the war is a huge strain on al-Qaeda as well as the US/UK.

Now...who will blink first?

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Among the things which sadden the Muslims and delight the unbelievers, is the hindering of some combat operations against the enemy due to, among other things, treachery.

---Osama bin Laden

[M.Dancer]

I believe that aspect of the insurgency has been on going from the get go. Thousands or professional soldiers suddenly unemployed and looking for work. Well, they has a marketable skill of sorts.

One sure weapon to defeat the insurgency is to create jobs. Which is probably why they target just about anything that brings the potential for rebuiding to Iraq.

[DogOnPorch]

One sure weapon to defeat the insurgency is to create jobs.

That's for sure...all that would be left would be the real hardcore terrorists.

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I was participating in my own lynching, but the problem was I didn't know what I was being lynched for.

---General William Westmoreland

[M.Dancer]

That's for sure...all that would be left would be the real hardcore terrorists.

Of course though, the catch 22 is the hard corfe terrorists target iraqis working on rebuilding and pay the ones who couold use the jobs to do the attacks......

...who said getting out of a quagmire is easy?

[jbg]

Of course though, the catch 22 is the hard corfe terrorists target iraqis working on rebuilding and pay the ones who couold use the jobs to do the attacks......

...who said getting out of a quagmire is easy?

And what kind of "real jobs" would interest the kinds of people that insurgencies recruit? I suspect, not very many.

[Drea]

ANY job, jbg.

These people have nothing, no food, no shelter, no future. The terrorist groups offer them food, shelter etc.

If they had jobs, housing, food and a future they would not want to join an organization where they could possibly get killed.

As it stands they have nothing to live for. If they had something to live for (a future for themselves and their children) recruitment would drop off.

Yes, of course some crazies will still join, but the moderates at least would have an opportunity not to. As it stands now, they really have no other choice but to join. Like gangs, one joins because they have nothing else.

Edited November 23, 2007 by Drea

[myata]

Another interesting aspect to discuss would be the motivations of people who believe that their superiority entitles them to barge into other countries, destroy, kill, then rebuild them accoriding to their bizzare ideas, and call it salvation. In my understanding, they're as good (or bad, depending on the perspective) as their counterparts. Except, theirs was the first hand.