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Flame » in reply to re: Curious.

re: Curious.
azstrummer — (archived)

In regard to staying in Iraq, I completely understand your impulse that, if we leave, the place turns to a real mess but I don't believe the repercussions in the end are worse than if we stay.

First of all, the country is in essentially a civil war if we define such as being armed conflict between rival factions within a sovereign nation. The only thing left to define really is the size of the battles. If it is a civil war, then the outcome of that war can only be decided upon by the participants and we clearly are not in that category no matter how much of a hand we had in pushing it along.

Most of the advocates for leaving actually don't want us pulling all the way back home. Murtha's proposal calls for troops withdrawing into a neutral country such as Kuwait and sitting back and watching the evolution. I would think the only way we'd go back in is if it becomes clear some other external force is trying to tilt the outcome. The major threat to that is Iran but I doubt they'd be willing to risk major involvement if we're still in the area.

The issues between the Shiites and Sunnis need to be ironed out but I think they never will as long as both sides can use us as a catalyst for extremism. There's a bit of acceptance in the Arab world for blind destruction as long as the rage can be provoked against some outside influence exerting their view of things.

We didn't get involved in Bosnia until all sides had beaten each other to a bloody pulp and the outcome was wildly successful without this burning hatred of America. Obviously a lot of people would die in the Iraq Civil War but it's the kind of destruction that transforms the minds of its citizens into first a weariness and then finally a realization that they've hit bottom and need help to recover.

Art

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