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US latest gem for Iraq: let's build walls!

A senior Sunni politician has condemned a US military project to build a concrete wall around a Sunni enclave in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
US forces say the wall, which will separate Adhamiya from nearby Shia districts, aims to prevent sectarian violence between the two communities.

But Adnan al-Dulaimi, who heads the biggest Sunni bloc in parliament, says it will breed yet more strife.

Some Adhamiya residents have said the wall will make their district a prison.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6579335.stm

Straight out of the Israeli Book of Inter-community Relations, obviously.

You have to laugh...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They've been doing it here for years as well.

    But sure aye lets just not try to find out the underlying reasons for sectarian strife and just build a big wall and separate ourselves, never liked the other side in the first place anyway! :rolleyes:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This is just the start, they will begin dividing the country up in the not too distant future....wouldn't surprise me there are already calls for it from the sunni's (i think its them).
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whenever "America" is mentioned in the same sentence as "peacekeeping" or "nation building" it really does send a shiver down my spine.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    or "nation building" it really does send a shiver down my spine.

    Why? In less than 250 years America has gone from a few settlements to the greatest nation on earth. It's when they try to build other people's nations that the problem starts.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yerascrote wrote: »
    Why? In less than 250 years America has gone from a few settlements to the greatest nation on earth. It's when they try to build other people's nations that the problem starts.

    Greatest nation on earth? Richest maybe, not greatest. They've got the highest levels of every social problem and the lowest levels of every social merits (well, of all the rich countries anyway). Not that the UK can talk. We're not far behind.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Greatest nation on earth? Richest maybe, not greatest. They've got the highest levels of every social problem and the lowest levels of every social merits (well, of all the rich countries anyway). Not that the UK can talk. We're not far behind.

    Not really. You're viewing the U.S as some sort of monolithic entity. There's 300 million peopel in it ffs. There's lots of morals and social merits in the U.S.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yerascrote wrote: »
    Not really. You're viewing the U.S as some sort of monolithic entity. There's 300 million peopel in it ffs. There's lots of morals and social merits in the U.S.

    No moreso than anywhere else.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No moreso than anywhere else.

    Of course, I just don't like this assumption that the U.S is some sort of monolith i.e. full of criminals and war mongering rednecks.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yerascrote wrote: »
    Of course, I just don't like this assumption that the U.S is some sort of monolith i.e. full of criminals and war mongering rednecks.

    Oh no, I was just on about their military. :p
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hell why not? It so obviously worked in N.Ireland and Berlin and it's kicking up a storm in Israel...
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    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Aladdin wrote: »
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6579335.stm

    Straight out of the Israeli Book of Inter-community Relations, obviously.

    You have to laugh...

    That^

    Ah well. We condemed Russia for it in Berlin. Now we copy them.

    SIGH.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Depends what you want it for.

    Berlin Wall was to keep its people inside, not to stop them killing each other so its not the same thing

    Certainly the number of bombs going off inside Israel has gone down since they built the walls and the peace walls in Northern Ireland kept there from being nightly riots in parts of Belfast. Also seems similar to the methods which defeated the communist insurgency in Malaya.

    Its easy to condemn, except for the fact they often work...
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    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Depends what you want it for.

    Berlin Wall was to keep its people inside, not to stop them killing each other so its not the same thing

    It was to keep the west (rich) out, and the east (poor) in.

    This is to keep the Rich safe, and the poor out. How is it not similar?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Every time people talk about these walls it reminds me of the pianist. *shrug*
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote: »
    It was to keep the west (rich) out, and the east (poor) in.

    This is to keep the Rich safe, and the poor out. How is it not similar?

    The Berlin Wall wasn't designed to keep anyone out.

    These walls are designed to keep bombers out and innocents safe...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Depends what you want it for.

    Berlin Wall was to keep its people inside, not to stop them killing each other so its not the same thing

    Certainly the number of bombs going off inside Israel has gone down since they built the walls.
    Shame that the lives of a far greater number of people on the other side of the Apartheid-Nazi wall have been ruined even to a greater extent that they were already thanks to the disgraceful land-grabbing exercise, the towns cut in half, the farming land lost and the isolation of entire communities.

    When have you ever seen a segregation wall that benefits people on both sides?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote: »
    Shame that the lives of a far greater number of people on the other side of the Apartheid-Nazi wall have been ruined even to a greater extent that they were already thanks to the disgraceful land-grabbing exercise, the towns cut in half, the farming land lost and the isolation of entire communities.

    When have you ever seen a segregation wall that benefits people on both sides?

    But then that's not what the Iraq walls about is it?

    And its hard to argue that the Israeli Wall hasn't stopped people being turned into bloody chunks....
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At what cost? The end doesn't justify the means- not when appalling suffering and injustice is inflicted on an entire people.

    The wall on Iraq is only going to alineate communities further. I guess the US is happy to try anything rather than opening its eyes to the problem and facing a few truths.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Given that peace, securiy and justice haven't been achieved without them at the very worst walls don't do any harm (at least preserving 'peace')

    At their best as in Northern Ireland they reduce violence to such an extent that conversation with the other side is possible. When you have that you can talk about justice and then the walls come down.
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