I guess I’ve been watching too many WWII-vintage movies. In those ancient days, cities under air attack would turn off all the lights-in fact, as in London in WWII, they had air raid wardens to knock on doors, and tell people to cover their windows, to avoid any light escaping.
I know that Tomahawk missiles don’t need any light, but it seems odd to me that Baghdad has all the street lights on-what’s the deal? Are “blackouts” useless in modern war?
The other weird thing-the foreign correspondents are all allowed direct satellite links with their headquarters-what are saddam’s propaganda people thinking? Is it to their advantage to have the west see the total destruction of his (Saddam’s) empire?
Blackouts would be pretty useless. Allied aircraft and missiles aren’t reliant on light for navigation or targeting. At the same time, it’s possible that Hussein might have decided that any blackout would be a sign of defeatism.
The reporters have all been made very aware of reporting restrictions. Sure, there’s nothing to prevent them saying something unapproved live on camera, but I wouldn’t like to estimate their lifespan afterwards.
<< Allied aircraft and missiles aren’t reliant on light for navigation or targeting. >>
Crusoe means: anymore. WWII and WWI bombing raids definitely depended on vision for navigation and targeting.
“The lights are going out all over Europe.”
Sorry, yes, that’s what I meant.
It’s got nothing to do with that. Let’s just say that bringing down the power on a regional scale would only piss the local populations off, and that’s not why we’re there.
Good point. I hadn’t even considered that.
On the US side:
Military analysts on the news have said that it was a conscious decision by the US military NOT to hit the power in Baghdad so that they can still communicate with those attempting to surrender.
No, they said it was to indicate to the people of Iraq that we are not at war with them.
“Military Analysts on the News”, unless they are speaking from a podium as part of a press conference, and generally pulling stuff out of their ass.
But the OP doesn’t why the US did not bomb power plants, but why the Iraqi government did not decree a general blackout. I just guess this is to maintain the semblance that everything is going on as usual, with the attacks having no influence on Iraqi everyday life. Sure, nobody believes this, but I agree with Crusoe that everything else would mean conceding that the regime is in trouble (which it is, but it doesn’t want to admit).