Incredibly Bad Idea
British exit Basra. Leaving as Shiite militias are fighting for dominance, and Iran has been stepping up its involvement. Basra was once the showcase of stability. The Brits, facing a growing challenge from the militias, used that as an excuse to leave.
Undersized Brit Army has legitimate issues with being overextended, and is playing a leading role in more politically palatable Afghanistan.
Hate to sound like a broken record, but when there is a war underway, that’s when you make your army bigger. Also, that’s when you press others to step in and do their bit. Spain, Italy, France, Europe … Arabia? The United States and Iraq are showing what is possible.
Topics: Britain
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:41 am on Monday, September 3, 2007
4 Responses to “Incredibly Bad Idea”
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September 3rd, 2007 at 10:29 am
Well, we’ll see what happens in Basra without coalition soldiers, won’t we? Kind of a prelim to the Democratic-engineered American pullout from Iraq.
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Sadly the British Army has been reduced to this. Defence spending has been cut, battalions cut and they can no longer safely cover their commitments. The British Army is still the most professional army in the world but without proper levels of spending and support from the government things will only get worse. Our enemies will see the withdrawal from Basra as weakness. God help our boys in Afghanistan.
September 4th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
When it gets bad enough the US troops will do a surge down there.
September 4th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
But Theo, National Health Care is sooo much more important than National Defense. Just ask the Dems in the USA. An the NHS operates so effectively too, what with all the money it’s getting that would have otherwise been wasted on the Army, the RN, and the RAF. Now the RN is apparently being put into mothballs to save more money for the Welfare State. Bah.
Of course once Britain joins the EU as a full member it can rely on the mighty French Army and Navy to defend it. Right? Uh, yeah.
Like Glenn Reynolds said, it’s getting to be tar and feathers time in Blighty.