Some Light Noon Time Reading
Over 100 pages and 79 recommendations later, I’ve finished reading “The Iraq Study Group Report“. There are some expected headshaking quotes that while I disagree with, it’s only my “armchair” punditry guiding my comments, so what do I know:
RECOMMENDATION 11: Diplomatic Efforts with the Support Group should seek to persuade Iran that it should take specific steps to improve the situation in Iraq.
Bwahahaha…good luck with that. Isn’t there some saying about a bridge, a bird, and a penny…I don’t know, but I think it ends with someone dying, probably a Jew if Achmedinijamanidad has his way. There’s also the “Duh we knew that” sections that I’m happy to see in writing, because some people still gloss over that al Qaeda has set up headquarters in Iraq, refusing to acknowledge that the two are now intertwined (this means you Ms. Pelosi):
Iraq is vital to regional and even global stability, and is critical to U.S. interests. It runs along the sectarian fault lines of Shia and Sunni Islam, and of Kurdish and Arab populations. It was the worlds second largest known oil reserves. It is now a base of operations for international terrorism, including al Qaeda.
Most of the report is delineating things we already know. The Iraqi Army and Police aren’t sufficiently trained. Shia and Sunni don’t like each other. Iran and Syria are intentionally causing problems there. The Iraq government is a mess. The Iraq people are sexist and racist…
Much of the focus of the report is on the corruption of the Iraqi government officials. They state that approx 500 million barrels of oil a day are stolen from the government run operations…staggering numbers.
My amateur outlook on this report focuses on one big thing in my view. Iraq will continue to be a problem over the next few years not because of the U.S., but because of greedy and corrupt Iraqi leaders who are both at Tribal infighting level, and the government level. Many of the recommendations involve getting our arms around their economic policies, and making sure that those in power aren’t taking advantage of the infant system just to make their purses fatter.
To finish:
Because of the importance of Iraq, the potential for catastrophe, and the role and commitments of the United States in initiating events that have led to the current situation, we believe it would be wrong for the United States to abandon the country through a precipitate withdrawal of troops and support. A premature American departure from Iraq could almost certainly produce greater sectarian violence and further deterioration of conditions, leading to a number of the adverse consequences outlined above. The near term results would be a significant power vacuum, greater human suffering, regional destabilization, and a threat to the global economy. Al Qaeda would depict our withdrawal as a historic victory. If we leave and Iraq descends into chaos, the long-range consequences could eventually require the United States to return.
The executive has stated it will make an effort to work with people, based on the suggestions of the report. I wonder if those who have criticized the President for his “stay the course” as being narrow minded and neglecting to the “nuances” of the situation will be able to now turn away from their single repetitive point of view of “all troops out now”, as it seems the much anticipated Iraq Study Group Report blatantly dismisses their plan of action as short-sighted to say the least.
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