Posted on 08/26/2008 6:53:36 AM PDT by Ebenezer
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed by far his toughest stance on the U.S. military presence in his country this week, by saying that all foreign forces should leave Iraq by the end of 2011. He rejected President Bush's ambiguous "general time horizon" of around 2011 and clarified that no U.S. training personnel or logistics troops would be allowed to stay in Iraq after the fixed date. Moreover, he offered a status-of-forces agreement to allow U.S. soldiers, as well as military contractors, to be tried in Iraqi courts.
This comes as a surprise to all foreign governments that have their forces in Iraqi territory, as negotiations were still ongoing between al-Maliki's officials and U.S. military authorities to set up a timetable for foreign forces withdrawal. The talks were supposed to end by July 31, but the deal had been delayed while the expiration of the U.N. mandate approached.
We can interpret al-Maliki's assertions as being directed to his own people, and more precisely the members of the various parties and factions in Baghdad and elsewhere in the divided country, where provincial elections are scheduled for late this year and general elections in 2009. His insistence on "no immunity" for foreign forces and "the sanctity of Iraqi blood" indicates who the intended audience of his remarks is.
We know al-Maliki is very much Washington's man, and owes his power to American support from the formation of his government more than two years ago. Perhaps, his desire not to be seen as an agent of the Americans among his own people must be stronger than wishes to secure U.S. help in protecting his still fragile government.
Whatever the Iraqi leader has in mind, Washington would want to pull its troops out of Iraq when its war objectives have been achieved. With the war that started in March 2003, a dictator has been removed, the weapons of mass destruction were found to have never existed, and American access to natural resources has been secured. What remains is Bush's lofty vision of establishing a beachhead of democracy in the Middle East, which is a risky objective for a time frame of little more than three years.
A premature U.S. withdrawal could lead to political chaos, economic paralysis and a possible civil war, during which neighboring Iran will be able to strengthen its hegemony in the region with a greater threat of nuclear proliferation. Not only Americans but Iraqi leaders themselves must see this grim prospect, but politics is trying to fix a date regardless of its consequences. From the beginning of the war, many recalled Vietnam in the 1970s, and the similarities are increasingly apparent.
gotta wonder if we are going to have ANY air bases in Iraq when this is said and done.
We have won the war in Iraq. The President needs to declare victory with Al-Maliki at his side and bring our guys home.
If things begin to deteriorate, we can slow the withdrawal or halt it.
I have fought against any timeline up till now, and would never put our soldiers in harm because of one. However, they have done their duty and it’s time for them to come home.
If this is true and al-Maliki sticks to his guns then it doesn't appear so.
Now tell me. If your rag-tag army was offered free training by the worlds greatest every military force would you turn it down? I really don't think so. We will be training the Iraqi's to fend off Iran and the rest of the crazies in the Middle East for a long time. This is just for domestic consumption Iraqi-style.
But of course it isn't doing McCain any good. Obama will claim an Iraqi endorsement for his "plan". What a joke.
What a pompus ass. My boys and I shed blood over their for them. I think we should walk in to his office point a M4 Carbine at him and tell him.... You have been relieved!!Just take it back for good measure and cause we can regardless of the political outcry.
-—”With the war that started in March 2003, a dictator has been removed, the weapons of mass destruction were found to have never existed, and American access to natural resources has been secured. “
I stopped reading there..
“American access to natural resources has been secured????” Huh? To my knowledge, the US hasn’t taken any natural resources. Iraqis can sell their oil on the free market.
“WMD’s never existed...” Huh? Never? That’s a lie. Furthermore, many of them were trucked into Syria with Russia’s help before the war, according to some key informants.
gotta wonder if we are going to have ANY air bases in Iraq when this is said and done. ....................... Once we leave they’ll have another Hussein within 5 years. When you deal with a society of tribes and clans you can’t really expect them to change in a generation. I hope I’m wrong.
</sarc>
WMDs were there though some people's idea of what a WMD is is truly stupid. One vial of a certain bioweapon can kill a million people. Easy to hide in the desert.
This speech is most likely for domestic consumption though it will only be reported as such many years from now just like Ike sending the Chinese a love note saying he would go nuclear if they did not come to terms with him on Korea. The truce talks soon followed and no one was any wiser for years.
Why did you and your boys shed blood for a people in a foreign country? And why do you want to take over Iraq from the PM? Did you forget your oath?
They second part was sarcasm. Didn’t think I needed the /sarc... As far as the first part... If you don’t understand by now why I went, then I can’t help you. I’ll bet you enjoy your freedoms. I on the other hand don’t believe that they are only for us.
Thank God it was sarcasm. Everybody knows how we got over there, it was because of either bad intelligence or a bunch of lies, take your pick. I do enjoy my freedoms, and I don't believe they are only for us either. But at the same time, I don't believe our blood and treasure should be spent on fighting for other nations, and neither did the founding fathers. That's why they set up the military to be defensive in nature.
Quote: “Lets go, time to leave. Let them take care of their own country and lets see what happens. No more rotations in country and bring our troops out and over to Afghanistan. We will finish there by next year and bring the the troops home.”
Perhaps not all home, but some back into Europe given that the Bear is in the woods again.
Understood but we saved europe once again only for it to become yet again a sheep. Let them gear up and do the work.
Thats ironic. You and your “boys” fought to liberate and democratize the nation of Iraq. But now that they finally have elected officials who are - gasp - acting in accordance with their people’s wishes you want to kill them off? You DO understand the concepts of national sovgerinty, independance and democracy right? Judging by your comments you want none of that for Iraq. If true just what the heck did you think you were doing out in the desert for the Iraqis??
Not real smart to bite the hand that feeds you, Maliki.
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