Baghdad's Easy Fall Fuels Arab Conspiracy Theories
Like many U.S. citizens, Arabs can't believe how easily Baghdad fell. But the Arabs have an emotional interest in finding an explanation that is less painful than the possibility that Saddam Hussein's regime was not a system conducive to tactical and strategic military excellence. I am an American, so I have my own interest in an explanation that glorifies America (a bit.) Nevertheless, I believe it will be shown to be true throughout history that when you oppress everyone, you don't allow their talent to contribute to the over all effort. This is the flaw in authoritarian dictatorships, and why they fail against democratic societies. This is the reason the West (and the U.S.) has developed such military and technological superiority. No doubt many young Arab men fought hard and fearlessly against the U.S. onslaught. The tales of suicide charges in buses against Armored vehicles is a testament to their bravery. But bravery is not the only component in battle. Training, Knowlege sharing, Coordination, Flexibility (born of allowing soldiers to think for themselves), mobilization of intelligence assets on the battle field, and mobilization of human ability / harnessing the engineering creativity and intellectual analysis of the situation back at home, all these things which develop so well in a democratic society - are what bring victory in battle.
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