the propeace community - Out of Iraq in '06 - Comments

A tribal society, Iraq's fragmentation inevitable?

Peacetalk — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 12:17:15 -0500

Kurds in Iraqi army proclaim loyalty to militiaBy Tom LasseterKnight Ridder Newspapers
KIRKUK, Iraq - Kurdish leaders have inserted more than 10,000 of their militia members into Iraqi army divisions in northern Iraq to lay the groundwork to swarm south, seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and possibly half of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, and secure the borders of an independent Kurdistan.

Five days of interviews with Kurdish leaders and troops in the region suggest that U.S. plans to bring unity to Iraq before withdrawing American troops by training and equipping a national army aren't gaining traction. Instead, some troops that are formally under U.S. and Iraqi national command are preparing to protect territory and ethnic and religious interests in the event of Iraq's fragmentation, which many of them think is inevitable.

The soldiers said that while they wore Iraqi army uniforms they still considered themselves members of the Peshmerga - the Kurdish militia - and were awaiting orders from Kurdish leaders to break ranks. Many said they wouldn't hesitate to kill their Iraqi army comrades, especially Arabs, if a fight for an independent Kurdistan erupted.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13495329.htm

submitted by: http://propeace.eu/english/home.htm

"America's Post War Managers Have Undoubtedly Failed in Iraq"

Peacetalk — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 19:34:25 -0500

SPIEGEL INTERVIEW WITH EGYPTIAN BUSINESSMAN NAGUIB SAWIRIS

Naguib Sawiris knows the dangers of doing business in Iraq. His company has already had three employees kidnapped there. SPIEGEL spoke with the Egyptian businessman about paying ransoms, what America did wrong in post-war Iraq, and Saddam's continued influence over Arabs in the Middle East.

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,390662,00.h...

submitted by http://www.propeace.eu/phpBB2/login.php

Iraqi Civil War

Susan Livingston — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:40:57 -0500

We've exported our weapons, our corporations, our consumerism, our mockery of democracy, and our love of violence to Iraq. You say, "The Iraqi security forces are neither in the situation to prevent such a war neither they are willing to do so. They are still embedded in this tribal system." ...and take a look at where and under what circumstances they got their training. Again you have emphasized the need for an empowered international peacemaking and peacekeeping force to manage the situation in a way that gets everyone's needs met. Empower the world community! How long has that been a rallying cry at this website? I might have started it in earnest when the preliminary findings of the World Tribunal on Iraq were published. It used strong language, but it was ignored. Now there is another tribunal....

And yet there is a small but militant and noisy minority in this country, backed by the John Birch Society with all of their money, that wants the U.S. out of the U.N. Why bother? What we don't control, we ignore.

Editor, propeace.net

Responsibility for the global peace

Peacetalk — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 19:10:59 -0500

This is a point of view of an American who wishes an end of this dirty war. But we shall not neglect and forget the responsibility for the global peace. Iraq is not yet in a civil war, it is on the brink of a civil war. The Iraqi security forces are neither in the situation to prevent such a war neither they are willing to do so. They are still embedded in this tribal system.

A civil war is like the war that took place in Lebanon in the seventies, and caused the death of 250.00-300.00 civilians and left scars not healed yet Ã¢â‚¬â€œ see what is happening in Lebanon today-

Survival

Susan Livingston — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 16:50:07 -0500

I agree that the international community - in particular and especially, both the Arab League and the United Nations - must have oversight of both the withdrawal and the post-war situation. The civil war is a separate issue; our presence most surely created it, but it has taken on a life of its own. In other words, while our staying won't stabilize Iraq or the rest of the region, neither will our leaving. And for that, we can only grieve, apologize, submit to the recommendations of the international community, and do what we can to make sure such an atrocity will not be repeated.

I don't think there is any danger that public opinion will trigger a hasty withdrawal, but a year is not what I'd call hasty. I am not positive that we have the option to wait for a consensus. I fear for the very survival of this country if withdrawal is delayed any longer. As Katrina and the continuing struggles of her survivors have shown us, a year might even be too long. Imagine for just a moment (but try not to magnify negative energy by dwelling on it) what will happen to the morale and the economy of this country if we have another hurricane like Katrina on the Gulf or Atlantic Coast next August or September or some other big natural disaster like a volcano in the northwest, an earthquake on the west coast, or a forest fire in the southwest. Then replace that vision with one of yourself doing whatever is in your power to take back our country and usher in an Age of Compassion and Reason.

Editor, propeace.net

A plan for post-war in Iraq

Peacetalk — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 09:08:05 -0500

A speedy and complete withdrawal from Iraq and the Middle East is not only desirable for all parties but a must.
A blindfold and not well thought-out withdrawal may leave in Iraq a vacuum that may trigger civil war among the various ethnic and religious groups. The consequences for the whole region are not predictable.

What we need is an international plan backed by the international community and supported by the neighbouring countries. A hasty withdrawal under pressure of the public opinion in the USA and without having a concept for the post-withdrawal situation means a repetition of the fatale mistakes done when the US administration decides to go for this war.

With view to the increasing tension between Iran, USA and Israel, I am not positive that a consensus can be reached in the near future.

Out of Iraq in '06

Susan Livingston — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 17:38:34 -0500

Today was MoveOn.org's nationwide petition delivery action to ask for an exit strategy that would end our involvement in Iraq in '06. I wrote the following letter to the editor, but just in case it doesn't get published, I thought it would be a good idea to publish it here. Rep. Brown Urged to Support Iraq Exit Strategy Over 500 District 1 voters sign "Out in Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ06" Petition North Charleston - Nine residents of SC District 1 gathered in the lobby of the Bank of America Building today to urge Representative Brown to support an Iraq exit strategy with a timeline that brings the troops home by the end of 2006. MoveOn.org sponsored the nationwide petition campaign supported locally by Charleston Peace and SC Department of Peace Campaign. The delegation consisted of men and women and spanned two generations. One young man has a brother on active duty in Iraq right now.