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BAGHDAD -- Unnerved by bombings that have killed hundreds this summer, many Iraqis are losing faith in their own security forces and fear the Americans are leaving too quickly. The misgivings about the U.S. pullback from the cities, and even about the Dec. 31, 2011 deadline for a full withdrawal, come at a time when a senior U.S. officer has suggested the Americans declare victory and leave even sooner. Iraqis, including military commanders, believe their security forces aren't ready to act alone.

Too bad we're fixated on Michael Jackson (not my thing) and Sarah Palin (mea culpa) because the power play taking place right now in little ole Honduras has a bit of everything, including the politics of race, gender, oil, democracy, and Yankee imperialism. Toss into our high-drama soap opera a Nobel Laureate, the human lightning rod known as Hillary Clinton, a martyred Honduran boy, and the first black president of the United States, and, well, the Honduras coup has something for everyone.

Iraqis Fear Rapid US Withdrawal Would Cause 'Chaos and Anarchy,' Says Iraqi Parliamentarian (CNSNews.com) - Most Iraqis support the U.S. troop presence in Iraq and think a rapid withdrawal would lead to "chaos and anarchy," said Adnan Pachachi, a member of the National Assembly of Iraq and a former president of Iraq's Governing Council (IGC), on Friday. He also said that the best policy now lies somewhere between the strategies outlined by Sen. John McCain (r-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). "There is very widespread support for an American presence in the short and intermediate term," said Pachachi, who spoke...

Thursday, April 17, 2008 Posted By:Catherine MoyPermalinkKurds Want Americans to Stay in Iraq - believe Democracy is taking root The Kurds in Northern Iraq are making safe haven for Christians who are suffering elsewhere in Iraq. At the same time, the Kurds feel blessed that the Americans have freed them from tyranny. Middle Eastern Expert Kennth Timmerman wrote about the Kurds at NewsMax.com. The Kurdish regional government in Northern Iraq is providing a safe haven to several thousand Iraqi Christians who have fled persecution in other parts of the country, government officials and local pastors told Newsmax. Unlike refugee camps...

How badly would an American pullout affect Iraq?  According to the nation’s foreign minister, all of the security gains would evaporate and bring the country back to the brink of civil war.  Hoshyar Zebari spoke to the Associated Press to make sure Americans know exactly what is at stake: Iraq’s foreign minister said Tuesday that he believes his country has averted a civil war after five years of “tears and blood,” and warned that an abrupt U.S. troop withdrawal would be disastrous.Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told The Associated Press that mistakes had been made by all sides but Iraq has...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2008 – Coalition servicemembers are making a difference in Iraq, and despite political rhetoric there, the country’s leaders realize they need coalition forces to remain, the commander of coalition ground forces said yesterday. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said that when he visits battalions and companies throughout Iraq, he is struck by the way Iraqis deal with coalition forces. “It’s a very interesting dynamic,” the general said during a conference call with military analysts from his headquarters in Baghdad. “I go out about five times a week, … and it’s clear...

Uh oh ... spaghetti oh! Just days after al Qaeda's last stronghold in Iraq fell to the coalition ... Iraq has offered a deal to the US to stay in Iraq for the long haul. Fox News: Iraq's government, seeking protection against foreign threats and internal coups, will offer the U.S. a long-term troop presence in Iraq in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership, two Iraqi officials said Monday.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. troops should stay in Iraq to keep ethnic violence from spiraling out of control, but they shouldn't stay too long, according to a panel of Iraqi youth convened by CNN. "Leave, but not now," said Mohamed Ibrahim, a 22-year-old medical student who lives in Baghdad. "If American soldiers leave Iraq now it will be more, more dangerous for us," said Karrar Sabih, 21, a fellow medical student. One of his three brothers was killed by insurgents south of Baghdad in 2004. These are opinions one hears often in Iraq. Many Iraqis are uncomfortable with foreign...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. troops should stay in Iraq to keep ethnic violence from spiraling out of control, but they shouldn't stay too long, according to a panel of Iraqi youth convened by CNN. "Leave, but not now," said Mohamed Ibrahim, a 22-year-old medical student who lives in Baghdad. "If American soldiers leave Iraq now it will be more, more dangerous for us," said Karrar Sabih, 21, a fellow medical student. One of his three brothers was killed by insurgents south of Baghdad in 2004. These are opinions one hears often in Iraq. Many Iraqis are uncomfortable with foreign...

Lt. Col. James Crider is a soft-spoken, direct man who has just become the "property owner" of muhalla 840 – "muhalla" meaning a section of land and the number 840 having been assigned to this particular square plot of Baghdad on a high-resolution satellite-image map. I asked how numbers got assigned and imagined some military official coming up with an intelligent formula: 8 for the neighborhood and maybe 26 to represent the level of threat. Next to the square marked 840 was another marked 838. Was one area of operation worse than the other area of operation? The satellite image...

CNN asked one Iraqi family earlier today what they thought about withdrawal. Video at link

TOKYO (Reuters) - Iraq wants multinational forces to stay until it has built up a military that is capable of maintaining security in the country, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said on Tuesday. In a news conference during a visit to Japan, Jaafari also praised the conduct of the court handling the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, saying it was democratic and just. "We don't want this withdrawal to happen before we fully have established our armed forces and they are capable of maintaining security and peace in Iraq," Jaafari said through an interpreter, referring to multinational forces...

As an Afghan I support the US and coalition forces presence in Afghanistan. In the current situation, the US presence is really important for peace and stability. Like me, most Afghan people support the US presence, even though Afghan people have always been against foreign forces and occupiers. But they know that the US and coalition forces are here to help Afghanistan and the Afghan people and they are not here to occupy our country.? After the 1992 civil war between various factions of the Mujahideen, and during the Taliban regime, thousands of people lost their lives. The situation was...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S.-led multinational force must stay in Iraq until Iraqi forces are fully prepared to defend the country by themselves, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Thursday. Setting of a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces would be a sign of weakness, he said. "The country would be open to increased terrorist activity," he said at the Council on Foreign Relations. Ahead of his White House meeting Friday with President Bush, al-Jaafari said Iraq's insurgency consisted of a "very, very limited minority" of people. Where once there were 12 to 14 incidents of terrorism a day, the...

UNITED NATIONS - Iraq's foreign minister said he's concerned the United States may pull out of the country before the army and police are ready to take responsibility for the nation's security Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari meets with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on Thursday, and his wide-ranging agenda includes "the continued engagement" of the United States in Iraq. The Iraqi minister came to New York to urge the U.N. Security Council to extend the mandate of the U.S.-led multinational force, saying Iraqi troops and police cannot yet defend the country against...

The leader of an Islamic party who is expected to be named Iraq's new prime minister in the next few days has urged Tony Blair not to pull out British troops.Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who would be the first Shia to be in charge of the Iraqi government, confounded his critics by saying that his country could not maintain order without the help of foreign soldiers. "Iraq's security services need more personnel, training and equipment," he said yesterday. "We need their presence for a certain time till we can depend on ourselves 100 per cent. "There are many people still working for...

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's president said today it would be "complete nonsense" to ask foreign troops to leave the country now, although some could depart by year's end. Officials began the final vote tally from elections to produce a government to confront the insurgency. Despite scattered clashes in rebel areas across the country, Iraq reopened its borders today and commercial flights took off from Baghdad International Airport as authorities eased security restrictions imposed to protect last weekend's landmark voting. In Baghdad, about 200 election workers today began the second — and possibly final — stage of the count. They reviewed...

Iraq (news - web sites)'s president said Tuesday it would be "complete nonsense" to ask foreign troops to leave the country now, although some could depart by year's end. Officials began the final vote tally from elections to produce a government to confront the insurgency.

Aid Groups Worry About U.S. Tsunami Effort Email this Story Jan 21, 9:11 AM (ET) By LELY T. DJUHARI BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Aid groups warned on Friday it might be too soon for the U.S. military to scale back its emergency operations for Asia's tsunami victims, while an informal cease-fire between Indonesian troops and rebels appeared to have collapsed, threatening to derail relief efforts. Following a U.S. announcement on Thursday that American forces would begin immediately transferring responsibility for relief operations to the "appropriate host nations and international organizations," some aid groups expressed concern that the move came...

Baumholder,Germany – Baumholder has been home to a U.S. military base for more than half a century, and, even today, Americans outnumber Germans by more than 2 to 1. But now this town's 4,800 German inhabitants are bracing for the possible withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of Washington's plans to restructure its military. Ulrike Norvell, 48, who works in the child-care department on the U.S. base, seems in shock. "Without the Americans, we simply cannot survive," she says, taking a long drag on her cigarette. "If they go, Baumholder will die." A similar lament echoes through small towns across western...