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Don't forget Iraq, Dr. Pipes.Reader comment on item: Innocents Abroad Build Foreign Armies Submitted by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (United Kingdom), Feb 11, 2013 at 13:55 Dr. Pipes: You make an excellent point about naiveté in the notion that American training of foreign troops 'imbues...American political and ethical values'. Iraq is a similar case-in-point, where the U.S. was largely responsible for building up the armed forces from 2003 until around 2008. The naiveté led to the approach of 'quantity, not quality', and as a result political factions took advantage. Today the elite troops in particular that were trained by the U.S. are seen as a mere tool for the Prime Minister to repress dissent. Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". Daniel Pipes replies: I thought of including Iraq but did not because the U.S.-sponsored military there has not turned out as badly as in the other cases cited. Its serving "as a mere tool for the Prime Minister to repress dissent" does not quite sum up its role in keeping the government in power. Reader comments (27) on this item
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All materials by Daniel Pipes on this site: © 1968-2024 Daniel Pipes. daniel.pipes@gmail.com and @DanielPipes Support Daniel Pipes' work with a tax-deductible donation to the Middle East Forum.Daniel J. Pipes (The MEF is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Tax-ID 23-774-9796, approved Apr. 27, 1998. For more information, view our IRS letter of determination.) |