Iraq | The Week

last updated 8 January 2015

Another week, and another 80 Iraqis are slaughtered in a marketplace bombing in Baghdad. U.S. soldiers continue to die from roadside bombs and sniper fire, and are now openly questioning their mission. Congress and a majority of Americans are clamoring for a definite timeline for withdrawing our troops. Against this bleak backdrop, said William Odom in The Washington Post, the Bush administration and its supporters are resorting to a last, desperate rationale for staying in Iraq: 'œto prevent the terrible aftermath that will occur if our forces are withdrawn.' But this is pure 'œdouble-think.' Our bungled invasion, which was supposed to turn Iraq into a stable, pro-American democracy, has already turned Iraq into a bloodbath. Iran's influence over Iraq is strong and growing. Al Qaida has established a foothold in the country, where its jihadists are getting hands-on training in killing Americans. 'œA prolonged U.S. occupation cannot prevent what already exists.'

Iraq, in fact, is no longer embroiled in just one war but four, said Phillip Carter in Slate.com. The first is an internal struggle among Shiites, especially in the south. The second is a 'œsectarian conflict, principally in Baghdad.' The third is the Sunni insurgency against the U.S. and the Iraqi government, which our continuing presence there has fueled. The fourth is being waged by al Qaida. Try telling that to this conflict's few remaining die-hard supporters, said Jonathan Chait in the Los Angeles Times. They now seem 'œcompletely detached from reality.' Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and other hawks no longer want to talk about what's actually happening on the ground; instead, they're resorting to generic, gung-ho bromides: 'œTrust the commander in chief, don't undermine the troops, withdrawal equals defeat.' The defeat has already occurred; by withdrawing our troops, we might at least force the Shiite-dominated government to negotiate with the Sunnis to keep Iraq from disintegrating.

That's wishful thinking, said Mortimer Zuckerman in U.S. News & World Report. As bad as Iraq now is, it could get worse—far worse. If we abandon Iraq to its fate, there will be sectarian war on a much larger scale. In the aftermath, the country could then easily devolve into a fundamentalist state aligned with America's enemies in the Islamic world. 'œIf America is defeated in Iraq, a victory in the broader war on terror will be impossible.' Let's not forget our moral obligation to the Iraqi people, said The New Republic in an editorial. The U.S. 'œset events in motion,' and badly bungled the occupation. Millions of Iraqis' lives now depend on our troops' protection. Sorry: There will be no 'œeasy and guilt-free withdrawal.'