The last of America’s combat forces are out of Iraq. So there are usual suspects lining up to congratulate the United States on its “victory” in Iraq.
There is only one problem with that line of thinking-the only winners in the Iraq war were China and Iran. China-because it got finance the whole undertaking by loaning money to the US, and by having a free hand to raise its diplomatic and economic profile in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia while it’s biggest competitor was distracted for seven plus years.
Iran because most of its current intransigence on the world stage can be directly traced to unintended consequences of the invasion and occupation-which created most of the pre-conditions for the rise to power of Ahmedwhathisname.
Don’t get me wrong-no one is happier than me to see us finally correcting this seven year old mistake and drawing down to 50,000 troops in that God forsaken country is a good start-but it is only a start. There will not be anything to celebrate for the US until the last America soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine is gone from that place.
Plus until then-its not the end of “combat operations”, the troops left behind still have fighting to do. To say they are not in a combatant role is a huge fiction, just the same as the “Mission Accomplished” fiction of 2003. Does anyone not think that the likelihood of continued combat operations is a reality? When casualties are taken by these “non-combat forces” will those casualties be characterized as “non-combat” as well? Does the public not understand that the secondary mission of our remaining forces is to be prepared to conduct combat operations either to defend themselves or to support Iraqi forces if requested?
We need to be honest with ourselves. The withdrawal is a long overdue development-but it is not the end for the US in Iraq.
Second, we need to be clear that the Iraqis themselves are still pretty screwed up, economically, politically and in about every other way too. Millions are still displaced in other countries or in Iraq. Do they even have a government yet-no. And since the stated purpose of the surge was to buy time for the Iraqis to effect political reconcilation, you can’t even put the “Surge Worked” stamp on the paper, cause it did not accomplish what it was supposed to do.
There is no agreement on how to share oil revenue, no resolution of the basic relationship between the country’s three major groups, and no decision on whether Iraq will have a strong central government or be a loose confederation.
And Iran is still a major thorn in both ours and Iraq’s sides. That hardly constitutes “victory”.