The Current Status of the Conflict in Iraq

[Spino]

Well tribesman is right if the mandate runs out its over, hence the Bush boys trying to negotiate a long term defence arraingment (think south korea as a comparative). The best possible scenario would be to leave now, no mandate and no defense deal.

Otherwise your in for the long haul. 20-30 years of rebuilding, defending and dying for a country we shouldnt be in in the first place and dont want us there.

I say lets cut bait now and let the chips fall as they may, to much blood and to much treasure has been spent already Im not up for shelling out more of either.

We were in it for the long haul after WW2 when we beat and occupied the largest, most powerful fascist regimes in history. True, Germany & Japan were far more technologically advanced and 'civilized' than Iraq but in the end things worked out for the best. Had we not invested in the occupation and rebuilding of those nations' governments and infrastructures they could very well have been exploited by other nations or had their population turn to radical ideologies out of desperation. The world would not be a better place if all of Germany and Japan had fallen to Communism.

Iraq is a case of 'we're damned if we do, damned if we don't'. If we pull out right now (or within one year's time) without some kind of guarantee that ensures that Iraq's security forces can provide some semblance of stability the entire region will turn into a free-for-all and is guaranteed to go up in flames. The criticism leveled at the US for abandoning the region will go from a whistling tea kettle to a to frothing, boiling cauldron. Syrian, Turkish & Iranian intrigues will come into play and play havoc with Iraq in their bid to exploit it for their own purposes. Al Qaeda will use the ensuing chaos to regain a large foothold and the remaining nations in the region will all do their part to get a piece of the pie.

Iraq is NOT Korea... or Vietnam for that matter. Korea was a question of one race of people divided sharply over ideological lines and an infamous line of latitude. Iraq is a question of race, ethnicity, religion, ideology and regional/tribal squabbles. You cannot simply divide up Iraq into two neat parts and save one while isolating and discarding the other.

A victory for the USA, but a defeat for reason and human rights.

Umm... sort of... not really... maybe. Critics of our misguided adventure in Iraq oh so conveniently forget that Iraq's former dictator, the man we deposed and helped send to the gallows, was one of the top mass murderers and human rights offenders of the 20th century. True, Saddam wasn't in the same league with Hitler, Stalin & Mao but he was definitely major league talent and most certainly made his mark on history.

Now I agree with your non-interference position in principle. You see, I'm fully prepared to let dictators, tyrannical goons and fanatics run wild in their own little corner of the world... provided of course that they are contained to their respective little . Iraq, Darfur, Kosovo, Rwanda, Haiti, Zimbabwe, etc., makes no difference to me. I couldn't give a damn if they're eating babies and raping puppies provided they do not prevent the stability, trade and general welfare of civilized nations. Anyone who feels we should take an active role in stopping these atrocities ought to just shut their trap, learn to fire a rifle and risk their own life while playing the good revolutionary so the rest of us in the civilized world can happily go on with our lives.