>>>>>I recall December of last year Bush stated that 200,000 Iraqis had been trained by U.S. Forces. An American General stated in a seperate interview, "They could not get 500 men in the field"!
>>>>
>>>>I can understand the lack of will to fight fellow citizens in a civil war, but this is the military that faced down the Iranian army in an 8 year war with 1 million casualties. They know how to fight.
>>>
>>>Faced them down with possibly a greater threat behind them? Were they volunteers or conscripts? Was conscientious objection an option?
>>
>>I can't find any wide-spread evidence of what you're implying. Sure it was largely a concript army but this is common in dictatorships.
>
>I'm implying nothing. And I wasn't looking for Wikievidence - just looking for your thoughts as to why two radical regimes funded by big oil money slaughtered each other for 8 years, with nothing to show for it other than body count. You're suggesting they know how to fight. I'm suggesting that maybe the will or cause just wasn't there.
>
>Don't read too deeply here, Evan. I am not looking for a debate.

Why? Their leaders said to do it. Then there is the difference in religious beliefs. Saddam is a Sunni (minority in Iraq) while Iran has a Shia majority.