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Obama’s policy of a gradual cut down of troops in Iraq is wise

Mar 04, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
Contrary to what Freddie Kissoon penned, Obama is not wavering in his policy and commitment on Iraq troop withdrawal.
The President is being pragmatic. An immediate (or a total) withdrawal is not possible given the tenuous (fragile peace) situation in Iraq which is experiencing a low level civil war among the various ethnic groups.
If the U.S were to completely withdraw from Iraq, it will be a free for all ethnic war that will be uncontrollable.
Obama announced the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq by August 2010 in Camp Lejuene, NC. It is reported that after Obama’s speech, the Associated Press interviewed several soldiers who heaped praise on Obama’s military agenda and the withdrawal timetable.
Yes, the troops want their friends and families home but they are also realists who recognise that it cannot be done immediately.
Kissoon is right that Obama campaigned for the White House on a promise that he would end the war and bring home the troops.
Yes it is true that his Iraqi policy won Obama early primaries that catapulted him to front runner status and eventually the Presidential nomination. But campaign announcement and or policy don’t remain static. Foreign and military policies have to take into consideration changed political realities.
I had opposed the US invasion of Iraq from the outset describing it as illegal and unnecessary to oust Saddam Hussein.
It was a war of choice. But once troops were committed to Iraq, there was no way to oppose their presence.
They had to finish the job of ousting Saddam and stabilize the country which had not experienced freedom. And once there, it is virtually impossible to bring all the troops home.
Obama is pursuing a wise policy of a gradual pare down of troops.  Currently, there are 146,000 American troops in Iraq. By August of 2010, it is projected that the troops would decline by 100,000, with some being reassigned to Afghanistan to combat Jihadists.
I do not see American troops completely withdrawing from Iraq although the President would like to bring them all home.
By the next Presidential election in 2012, almost all troops would be brought home.
But until then, tens of thousands of troops will remain in Iraq to continue overseeing the stability of the country.  If American troops were to completely withdraw, Iraq would descend into another Afghanistan as a breeding ground for terror trainees, not that it is not already serving that purpose for international Islamic Jihadists seeking to destroy America and the West.
Even after the 2012 election, American and foreign troops will remain in Iraq.  Bush and his neo-conservatives did not understand what they were doing when they decided on their misadventure to invade Iraq. American troops are needed to protect the fragile and relative stability of Iraq.  Anyone who studies international politics would recognise this reality given the uncertain state of stability and political reconciliation in Iraq.
Obama and his advisors would not want to see Iraq slide back into widespread sectarian war that existed before US troop surge a year ago.
Vishnu Bisram

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