The "What would happen if the US withdrew from Iraq" poll

[ParkCungHee]

We should withdraw as soon as possible because we are now there to try and prevent deaths of Iraqi civilians, which goes against the goal verbatun of the U.S. armed forces: The protection of the United States and its Citizens. If anyone argues that we should be protecting Iraqi civilians, I recommend they go out and join the Iraqi army.

 

[biggamer132]

I would argue that Iraq is already in a state of chaos and that, in the end, the United States can do practically nothing to improve the situation. Iraq should be split up into independent Kurdish/Sunni/Shi'a states, because there is no way they can co-exist.

 

[StarWorms]

Iraq is already in chaos so the poll doesn't apply.

 

[Elrohir]

We should withdraw as soon as possible because we are now there to try and prevent deaths of Iraqi civilians, which goes against the goal verbatun of the U.S. armed forces: The protection of the United States and its Citizens. If anyone argues that we should be protecting Iraqi civilians, I recommend they go out and join the Iraqi army.

So it's your position that US troops should never be used to protect or assist anyone but American citizens? So when American sailors handed out supplies to victims of the great tsunami in the South Pacific, that was wrong? When US soldiers fought in France in World War 2 to free the French people, that was wrong? Huh?

Iraq is already in chaos so the poll doesn't apply.

Do you think it would get worse if the US withdrew? That's really what I'm asking here.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Go large
Go Long
or Go home

 

[JollyRoger]

Do you think it would get worse if the US withdrew? That's really what I'm asking here.

Do you think there is a point in the near future that we can withdraw and it not get worse?

 

[Elrohir]

That depends on what you mean by "near future". If you mean six months, then no way. If you mean 5 years, then I think it's very likely.

 

[Lambert Simnel]

I rather suspect it's just guesswork as to what would happen were the US & UK to pull out. I guess short term (up to 2 years) it would be worse, medium term and longer would be better (as in less chaotic, and fewer deaths). Could I be wrong ? For sure.

I don't understand where so many posters in this thread get their certainty on this issue from.

 

[JollyRoger]

That depends on what you mean by "near future". If you mean six months, then no way. If you mean 5 years, then I think it's very likely.

6 months is the rightwing standard. The Bushco pundits have been saying "just give it 6 more months" since March 2003. Every few months, the goalposts get moved out by 6 months.

5 more years? How much is that in U.S. blood and treasure?

 

[ParkCungHee]

So it's your position that US troops should never be used to protect or assist anyone but American citizens?

That is what the purpose of the army is for. If you don't like that concept, maybe you just don't like the concept of having a U.S. army.

When US soldiers fought in France in World War 2 to free the French people, that was wrong? Huh?

I love when people try to use WWII to make a case for idealist foreign policy. WWII was fought in the defense of a militarist, anti-semitic, territorially agrandazing dictatorship (Poland), not in the defense of democracy. If it was about democracy we would have supported the Japanese over the Chinese and the Finns over the Russians. No the Second World War was fought because Germany was a danger to our interests as was Japan and get this attacked us . Liberating the people was not the cause nor goal of the war, if it was, we would have had to fight the Russians and British as well.

 

[Sephiroth]

So because they're bad, we should be worse? Because Al Qaeda killed 3000 of our citizens, and terrorists in Iraq have killed 2000 of our troops, we should kill tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians? Huh? Such an action would just feed the flames of hatred and would most likely increase terrorism, not lessen it.


So you don't think Iraq can ever be stabilized by a democratic government? Do Iraqi's not want freedom, then?

I think we should bomb every country that has terrorist cells...
stop the problem right there, and if you kill everyone, there is no one to get angry

 

[aronnax]

Wheter or not withdraw now or later, American presence would put iraq in more danger.