Withdrawing from Iraq
In the latest installment of this week’s CFR.org Online Debate, Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, says the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq have been “an ideal recruiting poster for al-Qaeda globally,” and that a withdrawal of U.S. troops would “deprive the organization of that rallying cry.” He maintains the recent lull in violence in Iraq has been due in large part to ethnic cleansing and ethnic segregation in Baghdad.
To read more of this week’s Online Debate, When Should the U.S. Withdraw from Iraq?, click here.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
What about the idea that to force any real decisions from an Iraqi government, a withdrawal must be in place?
I tend to think that until such a time as an end to US military and monetary aid appears, there is no reason whatsoever for any Iraqi politician to dig in at all.
I would go so far as to say that if you want to keep troops in a country as a geopolitical threat to a region, you’d take actions that actually keep the target government weak.
Anyone else think that a withdrawal date would actually make the Iraqis stronger?
May 12th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Withdrawal is not the answer. Stability of the country and the region as a whole is the answer. Having a military foothold in Iraq foments stability. Stability in this region means stable oil prices and a stable oil market. Oil is a crucial resource for the American military and economy, without it American hegemony will dissipate. Iraq can also serve as a staging area to attack Iran if needed. Iran’s growing distaste for Western and American ideals remains a serious threat to global economic security since the global economy is centered around oil. I personally believe that stability and peace will be obtained within Iraq, either by soft or hard power tactics. This will allow for much needed oil reserves to be secure and ensure a fuel source for the American military that desperately needs one. And who knows, maybe stabilization of Iraq and oil supplies will allow for a flood of oil on the market, destabilizing regimes such as Iran, Venezuela, Syria and Saudi Arabia.