Posted on 12/27/2005 6:58:09 AM PST by f zero
For a more secure Iraq, wall off Syria By Paul Staniland, PAUL STANILAND is a doctoral student in political science at MIT.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" focuses on the need to stop foreign fighters from coming into Iraq through neighboring countries, especially Syria. However, current U.S. policies have not halted this flow of insurgents, weapons and money. Unless the United States and its Iraqi allies can seal the border with Syria, enduring peace will not come to Iraq.
The porous border is troublesome because many of the suicide bombers who have taken such a toll in American and Iraqi blood are foreigners — from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and Europe. Those infiltrators who do not kill themselves in terrorist attacks are often skilled in military tactics or bomb making. Such insurgents act as "force multipliers" — meaning a few can cause much damage.
This means that even "winning the hearts and minds" of Iraqis will not end the campaign of suicide terror and assassinations carried out by foreign fanatics. Such violence fuels dangerous sectarian tensions between Iraq's ethnic communities and provides foreigners with combat experience that makes them even more dangerous in the future.
The 375-mile Iraqi-Syrian border mixes flat deserts with river valleys, and it is riddled with smuggling routes and cross-border tribal connections that foreign insurgents can take advantage of to slip into the country.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Wall off Syria???
Why not just smart bomb their military and government buildings? After about two weeks of "Shock and Awe" I think they would be too busy to send insurgents into Iraq.
We can test the wall technology there and the employ in on our southern boarder too!</p>
Wall? if you're talking security, can you stop at a southern wall? The Canadian border is twice as long as the Mexican border, and lends itself much better to camouflage, cover and concealment.
And then what about the coastlines? Don't you suppose that folks would just jump in boats and sail north or south until there is no wall?
Now we're talking about 11 thousand plus miles of fence/barbwire/wall completely surrounding the US.
I can just hear the cries of "police state!" from the Libs, and "Bush is a nazi!" from the libs.
Why wall off Syria? Keep them coming, All we need is
IFR drone aircraft constantly patroling at night with a series of air fighter caps along the border.
Set up interlocking fields of artillary fire all along the border, and renew the mine fields.
Death from above, into the meat grinder ya go!
This article is just more SLIME DEFEATIST rallying cry, to make the politicians want to call the military shots , like happened in Vietnam. Nancy Pelosi in charge of Military Strategy and Tactics?
LA TIMES IDIOTS
Let's wall in Syria, not wall off Syria.
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