Juan Cole: Iraq has a Government: Can we Please Come Home Now?

[unhappycamper]

Iraq has a Government: Can we Please Come Home Now?
Posted on 12/22/2010 by Juan

Iraq has marked three milestones this fall. The formal military mission of US troops was ended by President Obama on August 31, and while about 50,000 troops remain, some of them occasionally engaged in combat at the invitation of the Iraqi government, there are no large US military campaigns. The remaining 50,000 troops are scheduled to be out of the country on December 31, 2011, and newly reinstalled prime minister Nuri al-Maliki is insisting that the deadline will be met. While many Americans are skeptical that the withdrawal will take place on time, so far it has been running according to schedule. And it should be remembered that US foot-dragging could revive the Mahdi Army and other anti-American militias, who will not put up with a long-term US military presence in their country. As the number of US troops shrinks, they become more vulnerable to militia attack.

Second, last week the United Nations Security Council removed Chapter 7 restrictions on Iraq, which had established the ‘food for oil’ program that restricted Iraqi petroleum exports and forbade it to have even civilian nuclear energy. Iraq had been in a kind of UN receivership, but as of July 2011 will again become a fully sovereign nation in the law.

Third, Iraq finally formed a new government of national unity, headed by incumbent prime minister Nuri al-Maliki The new government is from the point of view of the US and Saudi Arabia too close to Iran (and it is in fact a result of Iranian intervention in Iraqi political affairs, since Iran convinced the Iraqi Shiites to cooperate with one another, creating momentum for Nuri al-Maliki to gain a second term).

However unsatisfactory the situation from Washington’s perspective, these three pieces of good news are important to Americans because they mean that the troops really can and likely will come home now. A long national nightmare is coming to an end. Iraq has been Lebanonized and will likely be fragile for years, with occasional bombings and attacks. But it can now muddle through on its own.

Moreover, a successful US withdrawal from Iraq– and the US Left has a responsibility to hold Washington’s feet to the fire about implementing it– could herald a similar ultimate military disengagement from Afghanistan and a winding down of the National Security State of perpetual war that so profoundly threatens our democracy, as John Mearsheimer has argued.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. Proud to be the 5th rec...

Good point and great article... :hi:

[w8liftinglady]

2. I hope this is true...one thing that is still unmentioned,however

is the number of private contractors still in Iraq.That remains a big secret.

http://www.americancontractorsiniraq.com/
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2008/0818/p02s01-usmi.html


And before we get too critical of them,remember most are ex-military and manufacturing unemployed who would rather work here than work there.

[ladjf]

3. Thanks unhappycamper for your consistent habit of sharing helpful information

with us.nt