Syrian premier calls for timetable for Iraq troop withdrawal

NoharnessAug 20th, 2007 - 18:05:18

I suspect that a very rapid withdrawal of US troops into Syria might well prove to be far more efficacious.

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We're past the military solutionsAug 20th, 2007 - 18:28:07

Syria, and other countries in the region, have absorbed a large number of Iraqi refugees, and want them to go back to Iraq. Those same refugees want to to home to Iraq, but have lost homes and property either to bombings or to the Shia occupying their space.

The problem that Bush faces after years of attempting to wrap up a war in a non-functional country is that U.S. troops' presence is seen as both a necessity (to maintain order) and a problem (giving the insurgents a reason to fight). At this time, the Shia are the 'military' problem to a far greater extent than al Qaeda. If the Shia run the place, al Qaeda will not be tolerated.

The big problem now is Basra, where British force strength has been reduced to about 5,500, and there's no safe way to extract them - the Shia militia are fighting amongst themselves for control of that oil-rich region.

www.alternet.org/waroniraq/60124/

'With British troops departing and billions in oil revenues on the line, Southern Iraq is seeing a new wave of open conflict between competing parties and their militias. Now the British are leaving, and the intra-Shiite fighting that bloodied the streets and complicated provincial politics will explode. Even if U.S. troops, already stretched thin, are sent to mediate, the situation will likely not be calmed -- it will likely be inflamed.

Nearly 80 percent of Iraq's 115 billion barrels of proven reserves -- the third largest in the world -- are buried in or around Basra. With the northern pipeline shut by attacks, most of the 1.6 million barrels of oil per day exported last year went through the port in Basra, bringing enough money to Baghdad -- more than $31 billion -- to fund 93 percent of the federal budget.

That makes control over Basra key. Whoever controls the provincial government -- and/or has strong enough militias -- has charge over the oil industry there and holds sway in the unknown amounts of oil and fuel sidetracked to the smuggling racket.

'The way things work in Iraq is if you have even a simple majority on the governing council, you get to elect the governor, the police chief, you get to put your militiamen into the police,' said University of Michigan Middle East expert Juan Cole, 'and the provincial government becomes a source of patronage for your party.''

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ConnerAug 20th, 2007 - 22:04:34

After pouring lives and vast amounts of money down the rat hole known as Iraq, the U.S. needs to leave and soon. The country is too vast to control, and the U.S. is not versed enough on all the different idiologies and factions that make up this nightmare and never will be! And the U.S. definitely should not be forced into a draft, and the military who have served shouldn't have to return or have their time extended!

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Thank you IsraelAug 20th, 2007 - 22:10:52

The hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and the thousands of Americans dead should thank Israel and its lobby groups for its behind the scenes success of having encouraged Bush and co Idiots in bringing about this nice war.
The Iranians are now subject of the same honor and pleasure by Mossad. And the Jewish lobby groups.

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The RAT FACE ARAB ABOVE ME...Aug 21st, 2007 - 10:22:25

Is a descendant of arafat. They are waging war by rewriting the truth. The hamas and co. are trying to rewrite all of their anti social actions and blame it on the jews. The problem in the world today corrupt imans, a misinterpret Quran, and a people of bankrupt values hoping to influence the dimwitted and weak minded of their race and the world.
The only thing your people know how to do is envy in other people’s success and destroy, for you know not how to build. You take and never give, you blame and never accept, you fail and never learn.
You and your kind can not even get along with your own.
Look at the shite vs. Sunni.
look at hamas vs. fatah
Talk about a bankrupt race... I suppose you will try to blame that on the jews and America as well Hey dickface reality sucks.
When the world thinks of you and your kind the think of death, destruction and corruption. You are a failed people. for you will never know happiness only misery.

Talking of Arafat…..What ever happened to the money he stole from his people????\
It should have been for the welfare of all his people, the building of schools and hospitals. It was over $4 billion at last quest. Ask Mrs. Arafat and the fat boys, and a few lucky imans. A couple of old guard plo’s have just retried, and funny enough have just moved to Europe. Follow the money honey….The fat boys know.

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