Do You Know the Diff Between War and Occupation? Neocons do [View All]

This is one of the best diaries I have ever read at kos....please go read the whole thing, and maybe your whole idea about this war will be updated:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/12/14/145538/04

I have made the point many times before that ever since Saddam was quickly deposed and Bush raised the "Mission Accomplished" banner, what we have been conducting in Iraq has been an occupation, not a war. The fundamental difference between a war and an occupation is simple:

In war, your objective is to seize (or defend) territory, kill or capture the enemy, and (hopefully) depose the enemy government.

In an occupation, your objective is to subjugate and manage a foreign population with peace and stability, while building up infrastructure in and/or exploiting the resources of that population.

Similarly, a "war" can end in only one of two ways: victory or defeat (with the occasional stalemate). An occupation, however, can end only in annexation or withdrawal.

snip

Democrats and progressives are not the only victims of this rhetorical disconnect. Authoritarian FReepers and 101st Fighting Keyboardists can't figure out why this hasn't already happened; they believe that liberals are tying the Administration's hands from fighting the "war" heavy-handedly enough.

But the truth is more sinister: Bush has not been fighting a war there. The reason for that, of course, is that what Bush and the NeoCon corporatists want from Iraq is a stable country with an American puppet government that sells its oil cheap to the United States, under the control of American oil companies. Killing the Iraqi people, taking their territory and killing their leaders (war) doesn't serve this purpose--subjugating a foreign population with stability, while exploiting its resources (occupation) does. You don't build 14 permanent bases if you're fighting a war, instead of engaging in an occupation.

Of course, the American people would never support the ongoing decade-long occupation of another country, so the Bushies have had to use the language of war to describe the conflict, leading to much psychological disconnect and confusion.

Please read all of it at:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/12/14/145538/04