Should the troops leave Iraq?

[rkfs]

Leaving now would only mean less American soldiers would die but would also mean more innocent Iraqis die and Iraq would probably become the first true terrorist nation (depending on what you consider Terrorist), I think we should slowly decrease the troops over time.

[Matt]

While I would prefer to see all American involvement end tomorrow, that unfortunately can't happen. Very possibly, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and others would step in to support their various factions. It could very possibly devolve past a civil war (where we are now), into a regional war.

I support implementing all the recomendations of the ISG, and getting out all non advisory and counter-terrorist special ops before 2008, when that nut John McCain has a chance of winning the presidency and increasing troop levels. Hell, if we adopted Feingold's original proposal last Summer, we'd be almost out by now.

However, it would do no good to complement one of America's biggest foreign policy blunders (going into Iraq), with another equally large blunder (getting out unresponsibly).

[indigo]

Wasn't this war really all about securing Iraqs valuable oil and installing malleable democratic pro U.S iraqi government in the middle east to ensure ease of access to those resources?
I think the liberation justification was just a smokescreen.

[Loki]

Wasn't this war really all about securing Iraqs valuable oil and installing malleable democratic pro U.S iraqi government in the middle east to ensure ease of access to those resources?
I think the liberation justification was just a smokescreen.

Nah, it was just to get everyone's minds off of the aliens we're holding in Area 51.

[indigo]

Well ye made yer bed.....

[Unknowngamer]

I think the soldiers should never have been there in the first place. Unfortunately, once they have left, though, the country will be torn apart by an all-out civil war. I don't think any reduction of the troops is going to change this, and it is going to happen no matter what happens. As long as there is someone in power in Iraq that was endorsed by the Americans, there will be many that oppose them. I think there was no exit strategy because there is no way to leave the situation without leaving hundreds if not thousands dead.

[Haru to Ashura]

It was a mistake from the beginning, and our good intentions don't matter.  Even if we came with good intentions, that doesn't change the fact that we, to put it bluntly, ****ed **** up.  Saying, "oh! we had good cause!  So it's not our fault that their country went to civil war and devastation - because we came with good intentions!" is the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard.

Anyway, at this point,it seems that situation will get worse no matter what we do. I guess we should start slowly deporting troops, have them out by 2008 at most.

[se37]

When Bush was elected into the White House by the court system... I said right from the start we were going into Iraq. The war was a huge mistake in the first place... everyone knew that going there would happen just like this. The problem is you don't want to leave too early or it will become another Afghanistan. Having a country like Iraq where the surrounding countries are dying to take it over is bad enough, at this point you have only three things you can do.

One is to have another dictator like before who can stop the war. Saddam Hussein stopped the war in the middle east and help bring it peace for a while, split the country up into 3 different nations for each group or pull out.

[Nikola]

No.
They leave, it'll just be some American mess. No way to cover it up. They had their chance to come home. And that was during Hurricane Katrina.
No more excuses right now.

[Fleamo]

Leaving now would only mean less American soldiers would die but would also mean more innocent Iraqis die

But you have to ask yourself...to whom does the American government owe it's loyalty?  If the choice is between Americans dying and Iraqis dying, shouldn't the American government choose to keep it's own alive?  

split the country up into 3 different nations for each group

You know, not a lot of people mention that plan.  I have heard it a few times, but not really in detail.  I think it's worth talking out, at least.  It would significantly disenfranchise any minority groups who don't plan on moving away from the country, and take one potential democracy and turn it into three theocracies(essentially, because they would be split up by religious background).  But it would probably reduce the amount of violence because each group would get what they want(control of the country).  Might they still fight and try to conquer each other, or might another country try to conquer or otherwise merge?  Is the line which formed Iraq worth preserving?  Is it anything other than arbitrary?

[rkfs]

But you have to ask yourself...to whom does the American government owe it's loyalty?  If the choice is between Americans dying and Iraqis dying, shouldn't the American government choose to keep it's own alive?

Well the Americans dieing are military so I think it's somewhat different than if it were civilian Americans.

[(insertusername)]

i think not i want them to leave but if we go the place will fall apart

[Fleamo]

i think not i want them to leave but if we go the place will fall apart

Well when does Iraq get to have a sovereign government?  When do they reach the point that the terrorism in their country can be handled by them, and we're only making it worse?

[The Tao Of Bill]

Well when does Iraq get to have a sovereign government?  When do they reach the point that the terrorism in their country can be handled by them, and we're only making it worse?

When they decide they don't want to be America's puppet anymore...

[Myahon]

On one hand they are seen as invaders and only cause more violence, on the other hand if they leave the civil war will turn into a multi-country genocide.

I strongly believe they WANT to be autonomous but it's hard to maintain power after the huge civil war that erupted after the fall of the Baath party.

I wish there was a better way but all i can think of to do is do everything we can to make the new government strong enough to go on without us even if it means swallowing our pride and asking the UN for peacekeeping troops to quell the civil war (with the new South Korean guy replacing Annan we may have chance)

Sadly just staying or just leaving won't solve anything.

But I'ts probably best not to talk of this here I just got called a retard on another forum for saying Saddam deserved to die for his crimes against humanity.

[Mongooseman]

I know your sentiments, because I've had the same and worse happen to be on other forums for various opinions that I've expressed, but this is one place that is generally pretty good with respecting others' opinions. There are a few occasions when flames fly, but it's not too often here, so I wouldn't worry. If it does happen, I or one of the other mods will take care of it.