It’s amazing to me that we have a “withdrawal agreement” with Iraq, and it’s not been broadcast throughout the media. Of course, right now, we have the big three automakers asking for money from Congress. Nevertheless, this is pretty damn big news, in my humble opinion. Moreover, it is particularly amazing is that we’ve not had this announced via televised Presidential Announcement.
There was a quote in this article that struck me: “This is a big moment for America and Iraq, yet the Iraqi government was more regretful than jubilant, calling the deal the best it could achieve after more than a year of negotiations. The Bush administration, now in its last weeks in power, made several concessions.”
Is it me, or is it a far cry from the US being greeted as “liberators” that the above had to take place under those circumstances?
Those items are less of a concern, now that the Office of the President is being relieved of its most incompetent administration. What is more concerning, from my perspective, is the dichotomy between the Sunni and Shiite. This potential sectarian strife is not limited to Iraq, but the vacuum created by a US withdrawal, done poorly, has the potential to result in a civil war, all too easily funded by the Sunnis in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc… and the Shiites in Iran. I don’t know. I am hopeful and anxious to get our troops out of Iraq, but I certainly hope that the government in Iraq is well enough constructed that it can withstand those tensions.
There was a quote in this article that struck me: “This is a big moment for America and Iraq, yet the Iraqi government was more regretful than jubilant, calling the deal the best it could achieve after more than a year of negotiations. The Bush administration, now in its last weeks in power, made several concessions.”
Is it me, or is it a far cry from the US being greeted as “liberators” that the above had to take place under those circumstances?
Those items are less of a concern, now that the Office of the President is being relieved of its most incompetent administration. What is more concerning, from my perspective, is the dichotomy between the Sunni and Shiite. This potential sectarian strife is not limited to Iraq, but the vacuum created by a US withdrawal, done poorly, has the potential to result in a civil war, all too easily funded by the Sunnis in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc… and the Shiites in Iran. I don’t know. I am hopeful and anxious to get our troops out of Iraq, but I certainly hope that the government in Iraq is well enough constructed that it can withstand those tensions.
1 comment:
Simply put, Iraq is a powder keg. I have very little confidence that the Iraqi government can hold back the sectarian violence that may result with a power gap.
While I agree now that it was probably a mistake to invade Iraq, i think the US needs to maintain enough presence to keep a civil war from erupting. If Iraq is in a civil war, Iran will find some way to exploit this situation. If and when this happens, we have a major problem.
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