Less than two years after having defeated the third or fourth largest land army in the world, ending the decades-long rule of a sadistic tyrant, America has restored sovereignty to Iraq and concluded, under terrorist duress, one of the most successful and competitive general elections anywhere in the world.

A little over two years after militarily intervening in the Côte d'Ivoire, what accomplishments is France celebrating?

FRANCE SHELLS OUT FOR IVORY COAST BANK ROBBERY

France has compensated the west African central bank for some EUR 160,000 (USD 209,000) stolen last year by French peacekeepers in a bank robbery in rebel-held Ivory Coast, the bank said Monday.

At least 12 French peacekeepers were implicated in the robbery in September in the western city of Man. Three of the alleged culprits were released earlier this month.

Robberies in the central rebel stronghold of Bouake netted thieves some EUR 30 million in September 2003. French peacekeepers on the ground in Bouake, Ivory Coast's second city, were able to scoop up another EUR 57,000 in the chaos that followed.

France also managed to blow up the entire Ivoirian air force -- not as part of her mandated military mission but in a fit of diplomatic pique. And shoot up the locals. We went back and read UNSCR 1528, the establishing mandate. Knowing what a stickler the French are for dotted "t"s and crossed "i"s, we were surprised to find nothing in UNSCR 1528 detailing the shooting of unarmed civilians. A curious oversight.

Good news for the Ivoirians, the UN mandate expires April 3:

With just over a month left to run on their current mandate, the 10,000 UN and French peacekeeping troops in Cote d'Ivoire face an uncertain future in which their role may have to be redefined.

Their present mandate from the UN Security Council to help maintain a ceasefire between government and rebel forces and oversee the eventual disarmament of rebels occupying the north of Cote d'Ivoire expires on April 3.

But so far there is no sign of the rebels agreeing to disarm under the terms of a January 2003 peace agreement.

Actually, the New Forces rebels recently called it quits on further AU mediation.

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has a suggestion:

"I have more than 10,000 soldiers from around the world in my country, whom I have asked to help me bring an end to the rebellion," Gbagbo told a visiting delegation of local leaders from the central Tiassale region on Monday.

"Those who come here must clearly state the reasoning for their presence - either they're here to rid us of the rebellion, in which case they disarm the rebels, or they let us disarm them ourselves and they go back to where they came from," he added.

"Less than two years after having defeated the third or fourth largest land army in the world"

Really ? When will you stop bragging and write something that even remotely resemble the truth ?

Your statement implies that the Iraq army in 2003 was larger than 1 ot 2 of the following : Russia, China, North Korea, USA or India. That's just bullshit.

Remember, Iraq lost 2/3 of its tanks and armored vehicles in Gulf War I and even before that the Iraq army was unable to defeat Iran.

And just compare the militaries expenditure of the US and of the Iraq army : 396 billions versus 1.5 billions in 2002. And you are still soooo proud to have won this war against a third world country....

Fred,

If you were a careful reader you would see that no claims were made about the effectiveness or outfitting or financing of the Iraqi army. The only claim is about the relative size of its land army.

Here's the arithmetic prior to the liberation of Iraq:

Enlisted
Iraqi Regular Army 300,000 strong
Republican Guard 80,000 - 100,000
Special Republican Guard 15,000 -20,000

Paramilitaries
Fedayeen Saddam 30,000 - 40,000
Al Quds, or Jerusalem Brigades 7,000,000

It is the staggering Iraqi claim for the Al Quds that dwarfs the land armies of every country on your list: America (1,035,000 active and reserve), DPRK (1,200,000, includes all forces), India (2,000,000+), China (2,300,000, includes all forces), and Russia (1,100,000, includes all forces). So it would appear the claim made in the post is too modest.

If you discount the Al Quds (our post does) then in fairness you have to reduce by better than half the size of the Chinese and DPRK armies, as a large percentage of both is hardly more in training and arms than militia, which easily puts our claim over the bar.

What we are "soooo" proud of, Fred, is exactly what is enumerated in the post's first paragraph. But then if you had given it a fair read you would know that. If the odds offend your sensibilities, well, dear boy, "We are not the Duke of Sung".

Now take your lock on the truth and go do some research before posting your shoddy armchair generalship here.

DGB

You pretend to compare only the relatives sizes of the lands armies, not the effectiveness. And after that you discard half the Chinese and DPRK troops because they're not properly trained. That is indicative of your standards of accuracy.

Even the Pakistan Army (Active Duty 550,000
Reserve 500,000) is larger than the 2003 Iraq Army.

And at last the French soldier in Ivory coats have not committed war crimes by bombing residential neighborhoods and killing thousands of women and children.

They have not made themselves infamous as prison torturers.

They have not created an insurgency that they cannot put down.

They have not given bin Laden an enormous boost in credibility and terrorist recruitment.

We do not pretend to compare, we do compare exactly as given. That it doesn't suit Fred, who can't get the better of his argument, is a shame we could care less about.

Fred's standard for "Truth" is, what? Why it is what Fred likes to hear.

Had Fred but skimmed the post he might have learned of French war crimes. The convictions by a French Court of French soldiers in a war zone would seem to constitute war crimes. And that doesn't count the unarmed Ivorians shot up by French troops, but Ivorians don't move Fred to tears.

No, Abu Ghraib is Fred's special hanky weep. Abu Graib gained its reputation in the Arab world for torture during Saddam's reign when real torture as policy was administered daily. That Iraqi were humiliated and poorly treated by a few American guards, we do not deny, but no prisoners had their arms broken with a crowbar, no hands where amputated, no one was beaten with an iron rod. But then the distinction is too much for Fred to draw, busy as he is determining the effectiveness of the Chinese and DPRK army.

Then there is Fred's indomitable "insurgency", liberal-speak for gentlemen terrorists. Let's see, "insurgency" objective: hold Fallujah as a command center and magazine. Failed. "Insurgency" objective: Stop democratic elections across Iraq. Failed. "Insurgency" objective: Win the hearts and minds of their countrymen. Failed. Fred, an armchair general who believes wars are all or nothing affairs, sees all this as nothing.

As for OBL's popularity. It seems only to have gotten a boost with Fred. Fred thinks more highly of the routed leader and his decimated organization than the establishment of democracy in Iraq and the turns of democratic events in the Middle East.

Talk about posting something that "resembles" the truth. Fred shows up and pretends his saying so makes it so. Well, yes, but only for Fred. Fred takes apparent pleasure in anything that he sees as a failing in Iraq because a failed Iraq vindicates Fred.

DGB