July 10, 200620 yr War unlikely for Iran, says Poland ONE of America's main allies, Poland, believes so many mistakes were made in the war in Iraq that any military intervention in Iran would be highly unlikely and the world would have to learn to deal with Iran having nuclear arms. In an interview in Warsaw, the undersecretary of state for defence, Stanislaw Koziej, told the Herald the operation in Iraq "wasn't optimal, wasn't very effective and quite a lot of mistakes were done there and still we make a lot of mistakes". Poland, one of the original "coalition of the willing" partners in Iraq, previously had 2500 troops there - its biggest military challenge since World War II. Today it has 900. Through a translator, Mr Koziej said the experiences in Iraq, which greatly divided Europe, did not make it easy for the world to react in Iran. "I personally believe that military intervention in Iran is improbable," Mr Koziej said. "So we should get used to the fact that we will have to deal with Iran having nuclear armaments.". The comments were telling, given how keen Poland, which joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, is to engage the US in Europe. In a separate interview, the undersecretary at the ministry of foreign affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, said it was vital to keep the US engaged. "We think that the American flag is waving in Warsaw above the roof of the American embassy and this is the only place you can find the American flag - it's a bizarre situation because in such a friendly country ? [the US] is supposed to be much more visible," Mr Waszczykowski said. Poland, which has a right-wing nationalist Christian government, is keen to co-operate with the US on its missile defence shield. It is considering hosting an American base, with further negotiations on Poland's role due at the end of the European summer. But Mr Waszczykowski said his country was concerned that it did not host "another Guantanamo Bay" - that is, a US base over which the US would have sovereignty, a situation that exists in several other East European countries. "We cannot sell out a piece of Poland," he said. Mr Koziej said public opinion in Poland did not support the country's presence in Iraq, the war having claimed the lives of at least 17 Polish soldiers. Nevertheless, he said his Government would most likely extend its mandate - scheduled to run out at the end of this year - a further six months. Mr Koziej said Poland's involvement in Iraq had shown that the country could make difficult strategic decisions in the face of opposition from its partners, and "even against the strong resistance" within the country. He said Poland's strategy for Iraq was to gradually shift its role from a military presence to taking part in economic, cultural and social developments. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/war-unlik...1.html?from=rss
July 10, 200620 yr War unlikely for Iran, says Poland ONE of America's main allies, Poland, believes so many mistakes were made in the war in Iraq that any military intervention in Iran would be highly unlikely and the world would have to learn to deal with Iran having nuclear arms. In an interview in Warsaw, the undersecretary of state for defence, Stanislaw Koziej, told the Herald the operation in Iraq "wasn't optimal, wasn't very effective and quite a lot of mistakes were done there and still we make a lot of mistakes". Poland, one of the original "coalition of the willing" partners in Iraq, previously had 2500 troops there - its biggest military challenge since World War II. Today it has 900. Through a translator, Mr Koziej said the experiences in Iraq, which greatly divided Europe, did not make it easy for the world to react in Iran. "I personally believe that military intervention in Iran is improbable," Mr Koziej said. "So we should get used to the fact that we will have to deal with Iran having nuclear armaments.". The comments were telling, given how keen Poland, which joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, is to engage the US in Europe. In a separate interview, the undersecretary at the ministry of foreign affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, said it was vital to keep the US engaged. "We think that the American flag is waving in Warsaw above the roof of the American embassy and this is the only place you can find the American flag - it's a bizarre situation because in such a friendly country ? [the US] is supposed to be much more visible," Mr Waszczykowski said. Poland, which has a right-wing nationalist Christian government, is keen to co-operate with the US on its missile defence shield. It is considering hosting an American base, with further negotiations on Poland's role due at the end of the European summer. But Mr Waszczykowski said his country was concerned that it did not host "another Guantanamo Bay" - that is, a US base over which the US would have sovereignty, a situation that exists in several other East European countries. "We cannot sell out a piece of Poland," he said. Mr Koziej said public opinion in Poland did not support the country's presence in Iraq, the war having claimed the lives of at least 17 Polish soldiers. Nevertheless, he said his Government would most likely extend its mandate - scheduled to run out at the end of this year - a further six months. Mr Koziej said Poland's involvement in Iraq had shown that the country could make difficult strategic decisions in the face of opposition from its partners, and "even against the strong resistance" within the country. He said Poland's strategy for Iraq was to gradually shift its role from a military presence to taking part in economic, cultural and social developments. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/war-unlik...1.html?from=rss polands eventual strategy for iraq should have been our strategy from the beginning...the best wars fought are wars of ideas...for all the bad hoopla around the word propaganda...its much more effective in helping to get people to see things the way you do than putting a gun to their head or dropping a bomb on their wedding
July 10, 200620 yr Wow...more of our guys have died than the entire number of troops the Poles sent to Iraq.
July 10, 200620 yr Wow...more of our guys have died than the entire number of troops the Poles sent to Iraq. i guess then you could say the poles were part of the coalition of the semi-willing but only because you asked nicely
July 10, 200620 yr Wow...more of our guys have died than the entire number of troops the Poles sent to Iraq. i guess then you could say the poles were part of the coalition of the semi-willing but only because you asked nicely They had no idea what they were getting into. They should have noticed the lack of other powerful countries in this 'coalition' besides the U.S. and Great Britain, and declined Bush's offer.
July 10, 200620 yr Wow...more of our guys have died than the entire number of troops the Poles sent to Iraq. i guess then you could say the poles were part of the coalition of the semi-willing but only because you asked nicely They had no idea what they were getting into. They should have noticed the lack of other powerful countries in this 'coalition' besides the U.S. and Great Britain, and declined Bush's offer. true...but instead of merely declining the offer...they should laughed in his face...as should have the rest of the world...something like this "ok...so you mean to tell me that iraq has the terrorists, the bomb, and is an imediate threat to the national security of america?" pauses to roll on floor, laughing, crying, peeing a little, farting and snorting...get backs up...ok...ok...wow...thats some good stuff...ohhhhhhh...you were serious? hmmm...how about no and i dont tell my fellow poles how you really won that first election(jabs W. in side) and cheney steps forward and tries to shoot him in the face
July 10, 200620 yr This kinda hurts George W. I'm talking about George W. Smith from city council. He ran in '93 out in Oakland, you probably didn't here about it.
July 11, 200620 yr This kinda hurts George W. I'm talking about George W. Smith from city council. He ran in '93 out in Oakland, you probably didn't here about it. lol, that was a great episode last night.
July 11, 200620 yr This kinda hurts George W. I'm talking about George W. Smith from city council. He ran in '93 out in Oakland, you probably didn't here about it. :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
July 11, 200620 yr What is this "don't forget poland" stuff i've been hearing the past 2 years? Mabye I was under a rock at the time, but I don't get the joke but I hear it often.
July 11, 200620 yr What is this "don't forget poland" stuff i've been hearing the past 2 years? Mabye I was under a rock at the time, but I don't get the joke but I hear it often. Bush was naming the Alliance of the Willing or whatever the hell they were called, and so he trumped it up like it was going to be this impressive alliance, kept building it up and building it up and then went on to name the United States, Great Britain and a whole lotta' sh*tty counties. Then at the end, when everyone was less unenthusiastic he said, "Wait, DON'T FORGET POLAND!" Like that was the trump. f***ing Poland. Ah, I was mistaken, here it is in it's entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhBJJHF1bJc...h=Bush%20poland Daily Show, I know, some will be disappointed, some will not click, but it contains the truth! Well, a comedy version of. But, it's there. It's ALL there.
July 11, 200620 yr This kinda hurts George W. I'm talking about George W. Smith from city council. He ran in '93 out in Oakland, you probably didn't here about it. :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
July 11, 200620 yr Italy and Spain also sent troops. italy has troops? that stand for something? that dont join the cause of the winning side at half time? no sh*t... :whistle
July 11, 200620 yr Italy and Spain also sent troops. italy has troops? that stand for something? that dont join the cause of the winning side at half time? no sh*t... :whistle What in God's name are you trying to say? Italy always chooses the wining side especially in WWII
July 11, 200620 yr Italy and Spain also sent troops. italy has troops? that stand for something? that dont join the cause of the winning side at half time? no sh*t... :whistle What in God's name are you trying to say? Italy always chooses the wining side especially in WWII Uhhhh... Maybe you're thinking WWI (where they joined the allied powers partway through the war). They were part of the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) in WWII. I'm also pretty sure that either Italy or Spain (maybe both) has since withdrawn their troops from Iraq.
July 11, 200620 yr Italy and Spain also sent troops. italy has troops? that stand for something? that dont join the cause of the winning side at half time? no sh*t... :whistle What in God's name are you trying to say? Italy always chooses the wining side especially in WWII Uhhhh... Maybe you're thinking WWI (where they joined the allied powers partway through the war). They were part of the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) in WWII. I'm also pretty sure that either Italy or Spain (maybe both) has since withdrawn their troops from Iraq. if im not mistaken, the italians didnt put up much of a fight when americans moved north from africa to start fighting in europe in ww2, no?
July 11, 200620 yr There was fighting, but it was not as brutal as many other battles in the war. It was still bad enough from what I hear.
July 11, 200620 yr Cangelosi was kidding about the WWII comment. Proving that things like sarcasm and reading comprehension is a dying art on this board.
July 11, 200620 yr Proving that things like sarcasm and reading comprehension is a dying art on this board. I'm sorry, but sarcasm is very difficult on the Internet. He should have at least hinted at it.
July 11, 200620 yr Proving that things like sarcasm and reading comprehension is a dying art on this board. I'm sorry, but sarcasm is very difficult on the Internet. He should have at least hinted at it. He did more than than just hint at it. Italy always chooses the winning side especially in WWII. That is both blatant and obvious.
July 11, 200620 yr Italy and Spain also sent troops. italy has troops? that stand for something? that dont join the cause of the winning side at half time? no sh*t... :whistle What in God's name are you trying to say? Italy always chooses the wining side especially in WWII Uhhhh... Maybe you're thinking WWI (where they joined the allied powers partway through the war). They were part of the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) in WWII. I'm also pretty sure that either Italy or Spain (maybe both) has since withdrawn their troops from Iraq. if im not mistaken, the italians didnt put up much of a fight when americans moved north from africa to start fighting in europe in ww2, no? 1. Thats's because the italians had already surrendered (switched sides). The Americans were fighting the Nazi's at that point. 2. Spain withdrew their troops after the Madrid bombings. Italy is gradually withdrawing theirs. 3. I was pointing out that the "You forgot Poland" joke is ignorant, but you obviously feast on ignorance.
July 11, 200620 yr Italy and Spain also sent troops. italy has troops? that stand for something? that dont join the cause of the winning side at half time? no sh*t... :whistle What in God's name are you trying to say? Italy always chooses the wining side especially in WWII Uhhhh... Maybe you're thinking WWI (where they joined the allied powers partway through the war). They were part of the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) in WWII. I'm also pretty sure that either Italy or Spain (maybe both) has since withdrawn their troops from Iraq. Sarcasm ace, I obviously know that Mussolini sided with the Axis powers in WWII, thankfully Buckeye already pleaded and won my case for me
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