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mack4289
Joined: 06 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 7:09 am Post subject: 100,000 US troops in Iraq for 20 years? |
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http://www.slate.com/id/2173355/pagenum/2
"[Stephen Biddle, a military analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of General Petraeus' advisory panel] also said (again, expressing his personal view) that the strategy in Iraq would require the presence of roughly 100,000 American troops for 20 years�and that, even so, it would be a "long-shot gamble."
There's no way this is happening, right? We've done and are still doing long-term occupations, but not ones in which American soldiers die regularly. So does it do Iraq any good for us to stay longer? Or will it just make the aftermath of our withdrawal worse? |
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Isiod
Joined: 11 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:22 am Post subject: |
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Not wanting to be argumentative, but there are a couple of things I want to comment on in your question.
1. Does it do Iraq any good having US troops there in the first place?
2. Does the occupation have anything to do with the good of Iraq, or is it simply to secure the exploitation of the country?
3. Shouldn't Iraqis (the majority of whom are opposed to the occupation) be making this decision, not US analysts/generals?
4. I don't know your background, but is "our" (as in "our withdrawal") an appropriate pronoun to use? I mean US troops don't seem to be fighting in the interests of, or be at all controlled by the vast majority of Americans. |
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mack4289
Joined: 06 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Isiod wrote: |
Not wanting to be argumentative, but there are a couple of things I want to comment on in your question.
1. Does it do Iraq any good having US troops there in the first place?
2. Does the occupation have anything to do with the good of Iraq, or is it simply to secure the exploitation of the country?
3. Shouldn't Iraqis (the majority of whom are opposed to the occupation) be making this decision, not US analysts/generals?
4. I don't know your background, but is "our" (as in "our withdrawal") an appropriate pronoun to use? I mean US troops don't seem to be fighting in the interests of, or be at all controlled by the vast majority of Americans. |
Fair questions. For Number 1, I'd say yes, but it's probably outweighed by the bad done to the Iraqis.
For number 2, I'd say it has something to do with the good of the Iraqis. Look at Iraq geographically: sworn US enemy Iran to the east; more Westernized, moderate Turkey to the NE; Hezbollah-dominated Syria to the NW; US ally and fairly politically-open Jordan to the west; and the shady Saudis to the SW. A democratic American ally in that region gives the US four countries who would at least be on our side in a war against Iran/Syria. It also gives the US a lot more influence in a region that is important strategically for many reasons (oil being a big part of that). It would make it easier for the US to keep an eye on Iran, Syria and the Saudis (Saudi falls into the "with friends like these..." category). The best way to have Iraq on our side (and maybe fight with us) is to help them build a democratic, stable state.
The problem is that the US would settle for any sort of stability, as long as it was friendly to us. That's gotten America in trouble in the long run in the past, and it would this time, too. Would we choose friendly authoritarian stability over an unfriendly democracy? It would be a mistake but I could see it happening. It would not be the first time.
The Iraqis should be deciding this, but not simply through a vote. I can't find any news stories where Iraqi politicians ask for the US troops to leave. Sometimes elected leaders have to go against popular opinion.
As for the use of "our" or "we", even though I don't agree with the war or the continued occupation, that hasn't stopped them from using the tax money I paid while in the US. Until they do, I'd say it's appropriate for me to use those pronouns. |
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