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Subject: Question for the Iraq experts--Name the leaders or the factions of various
Herc the Merc    12/7/2006 6:10:34 PM
competing factions specifically please. Al-Sadr we all know, and Al-Quada and ex-Ba'athists is too vague. Hint there are 23 groups. If u do not know this could u plz tell us why u think u have any clue about Iraq. really.
 
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shek       12/7/2006 6:45:00 PM

competing factions specifically please. Al-Sadr we all know, and Al-Quada and ex-Ba'athists is too vague. Hint there are 23 groups. If u do not know this could u plz tell us why u think u have any clue about Iraq. really.

Does a grade schooler who IMs typing for you?  Could u plz tell us why u think we should take u seriously when you type like that?
 
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Herc the Merc    Ok shek   12/7/2006 6:55:51 PM
Who is who in the Iraq street fight--simple enough ?? I mean I am really curious to know if folks go about declaring that victory is around the corner or possible even have a clue who the players and the leaders are. Before u bet on a winning team in NFL the least u need to know are the various team. I here Sadr, Al Quaida & ex- Ba'athist-thats too vague and bothers me. So if you have any further info plz oblige...gracias muchachos amigos.
 
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shek       12/7/2006 8:05:38 PM
Herc,
 
My guess is that you came across this Wiki article and figured that you'd float your question out there.
 
 
However, this doesn't even cover all the permutations out there.  You have to include the various tribes as well as the political parties as well, and then you'd have to start mapping networks to figure out who the power players in the various regions are.  That's quite simplistic, but it gets at the question better than your approach.
 
In any event, your question is a false dichotomy, as "expert" or "no clue" are not the only potential choices out there in the real world. 
 
BTW, I'm not sure if any one on here has claimed to be an "expert."  I know that I have never claimed to be an Iraq expert, although I would definitely claim to know more than the average bear in the general population, which really isn't that hard.  I guess I shouldn't have replied to your message!
 
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Bob       12/7/2006 9:34:03 PM

competing factions specifically please. Al-Sadr we all know, and Al-Quada and ex-Ba'athists is too vague. Hint there are 23 groups. If u do not know this could u plz tell us why u think u have any clue about Iraq. really.
IRAQ FRE
SYRIA
IRAN

Wow, that was hard.
 
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Plutarch       12/8/2006 1:04:41 AM

Who is who in the Iraq street fight--simple enough ?? I mean I am really curious to know if folks go about declaring that victory is around the corner or possible even have a clue who the players and the leaders are. Before u bet on a winning team in NFL the least u need to know are the various team. I here Sadr, Al Quaida & ex- Ba'athist-thats too vague and bothers me. So if you have any further info plz oblige...gracias muchachos amigos.



Nobody seems to be an expert on the Iraqi insurgency Herc. The ISG Report (the new one) stated there were less than 10 DIA analysts who have worked on the Iraqi insurgency for more than two years.  This is probably true of the CIA too, and Army units get shipped in and out of Iraq as well.  New groups are popping up all the time in messy wars like this.  In Afghanistan there were at least 14 major groups fighting and the Lebanon Civil War had at least 10 major militas fighting.  The important thing to look for, I think, in wars like these is trends, not leaders or groups, as leaders die and groups fade away. 
 
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sentinel28a       12/8/2006 3:16:33 AM
Gee, Herc...I don't know.  You're going to have to tell me. 
 
Before you do, I want to know the names of every Vietnamese commander during the war from 1965 to 1975.  Spelling counts.  If you can't, you can never mention the word "Vietnam" in your posts again, because you're obviously no expert on Vietnam and therefore are not qualified to say anything about Vietnam, ever.
 
 
 
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