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On 19 Mar 2003 at 22:55, Sarad AV wrote:
> how long does US analysts expect iraq to be completely
> occupied by US and allied troops?
No definite plans, but Rumsfeld is thinking of an occupation
force of 75 000 for several years. Some want the kind of
occupation where any time any Iraqi utters a racist slur, the
marines take him away for sensitivity training, which would
require about 200 000, whereas Rumsfeld has in mind an
occupation more like Afghanistan, where so long as the rivers
run with water, not blood, we pat ourselves on the back and
count it a job well done.
Of course, all this assumes the war goes smoothly -- with a
kill ratio of a thousand to one. There is widespread failure
to appreciate how remarkable such kill ratios are. If it is
merely one hundred to one, the war will be perceived as a
defeat, and if it is merely ten to one, it actually will be a
defeat.
--digsig
James A. Donald
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