U.S. Erects Baghdad Wall to Keep Sects Apart

U.S. Erects Baghdad Wall to Keep Sects Apart

www.nytimes.com

BAGHDAD, April 20 — American military commanders in Baghdad are trying a radical new strategy to quell the widening sectarian violence by building a 12-foot-high, three-mile-long wall separating a historic Sunni enclave from Shiite neighborhoods.

Soldiers in the Adhamiya district of northern Baghdad, a Sunni Arab stronghold, began construction of the wall last week and expect to finish it within a month. Iraqi Army soldiers would then control movement through a few checkpoints. The wall has already drawn intense criticism from residents of the neighborhood, who say that it will increase sectarian tensions and that it is part of a plan by the Shiite-led Iraqi government to box in the minority Sunnis.

A doctor in Adhamiya, Abu Hassan, said the wall would transform the residents into caged animals.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Another sign of failure, what are they doing? Reminds me of another wall that seperated a city into two parts, I think you know which one I mean.

As one of the citizens said, “They’re trying to isolate us from other parts of Baghdad. The hatred will be much greater between the two sects.” I couldn't agree more.


www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Shiite, "Alright! Now we don't have to worry about eachother!"

Sunni, "Yup! Wait a second... all the restaurants are on your side of the wall!"

Shiite, "Heeeeey... and the library is on your side of the wall!"

Sunni, "OK... you can come over the wall to use the library if we can come over the wall to go to the restaurants."

ug... this is gonna be fun.

This is so ridiculous. The US should just install another dictator in place of Saddam. This childish feuding will never end. The Middle East is so backwards.

I'm willing to bet this wall will work about as well as the wall between the US and Mexico.

hahahaha, ahh i loved that video, best thing i seen all day!

but yeah, this wall, its stupid... stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid...

but, i gotta hand it to the US administration, atleast they are consistent.

Its going to FURTHER the secretarian divide.......

Anyone besides me get the feeling that the warhawks have no strategy.
Just making it up as they go along at the expense of American taxpayers.

With all the high explosives, available to anyone in Iraq; this wall will be as effective as the one between Mexico and the US.

At least it may help relieve the unemployment problem in Irag.

It also may concentrate different sects of workers, thus making them easy targets for opposing sects as what is happening with the security forces and police.

this wall will never be built.

If you want to have Peace,
You must build Bridges,
Not Walls.

Wrong approach.
Where is The Wall actually working?
Did it work in Berlin?
Or is it working in Jerusalem?
Or is it working on the USA/Mexican border?
But maybe it is the plan not to have peace in Iraq.
It sure looks like it.

This is disgusting. Completely disgusting.

How can they even do anything like this? This reminds me of a few things that happened in the WWII era, now doesn't it?

Originally posted by Souljah
If you want to have Peace,
You must build Bridges,
Not Walls.

Wrong approach.
Where is The Wall actually working?
Did it work in Berlin?
Or is it working in Jerusalem?
Or is it working on the USA/Mexican border?
But maybe it is the plan not to have peace in Iraq.
It sure looks like it.

What is the answer then ?

If casualties go according to how they have been in the past few years, within another 25 years close to five percent of the indeginous Iraqi population will have been destroyed, coinciding with the arrival of many foreign citizens to fill the gap.

By then the remaining population, almost everyone having felt the sting of loss and destruction will submit completely to whomever controls the nation.

It worked in the whole Western Hemisphere over the last 200 years. Now we shall see if it can work in the Middle East, except now we have to do it by turning them against each other.

Cheers, I shall await my Condo along the Tigris in 2032.

This is awful......


I don't think this is improvised, it must be part of the agenda.

When you have two packs of rabid dogs having at each other what do you do ? Shoot the dogs or separate them ??
Until they can can be tamed, they need a cage.

ALLRIGHT!

Another victory for Kurds at the demise of the rest of the population.

Kurdistan constructs most of the concrete barriers in southern Iraq..

They also transport them..

They are also providing most of the resources for the wall via government contract..

Essentially this stupid plan just put millions into the hands of another government .. Kurdistan, once the weakest of the Iraqi's now profit off their enemies pain.

A wall? You've got to be kidding!

What is this a replay of the cold war with it's famous Berlin Wall? I can't believe they are seroiusly considering such a rediculas act! If they go through with this it will be the end of World War 2 all over again. The funny question is going to be, who is going to be there in 25 years saying:

Mr. (fill in name) Tare down This Wall!

I think this is proof that history does in fact repeat itself.

Tim

The US Iraq strategy, or lack there of, has been a failure from day one. This is just another example of incompetence starting from the top. What amazes me, is the continued lack of a call for impeachment. The Bush/Cheney gang must be removed. They are the ones who should be behind walls. Prison walls.

End the madness. Impeach now!

Originally posted by Souljah
Did it work in Berlin?

Not that I liked that wall but yes it did work for the Russians. You might disagree but the fact it it did cut down on attempts to get over it.

To be Frank though I do not think you can compare this to Berlin as you did because Germans were not the ones that wanted to divide the city it was the Russians. Here they are doing it to keep peace . I doubt it will work but it is a method or approach to use when you consider what they
are doing. i

I don't like the idea of a wall, but there are some points people made earlier that should be clarified.
The wall in Berlin did not work at first. It was built to keep the people in. They were at first going over the wall by the thousands. That was when those making the attempt just started getting shot. That was when the wall started to work, to keep the people in.
That wall in Israel was suppose to stop the constant bombings in the crowded places. From what I have heard that wall has had some success. Have not heard about as many bombings.
I doubt this one will work, but it will be another interesting chapter in the history of walls.

I think wall is a bad idea. Plus this time we don't have Reagan...



[edit on 4/21/2007 by digitalassassin]

Originally posted by lorentrook
What is the answer then ?

Leave the Middle East before you sink into the sand.