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After Iraq
By Charlie
This story has made the rounds today:
Talks Are Set on Ending Battle of Iraq: Quiet Announcement Signals Start of U.S., Iraq Parley
With the eyes of the world focused on the Middle East peace talks in Annapolis, Md., President Bush's war tsar, Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, quietly announced that the American and Iraqi governments will start talks early next year to bring about an end to the allied occupation by the close of Mr. Bush's presidency.The negotiations will bring to a formal conclusion the U.N. Chapter 7 Security Council involvement in the occupation and administration of Iraq, and are expected to reduce the number of American troops to about 50,000 troops permanently stationed there but largely confined to barracks, from the current 164,000 forces on active duty.
"The basic message here should be clear. Iraq is increasingly able to stand on its own. That's very good news. But it won't have to stand alone," General Lute yesterday told reporters in the White House.
We’ll see how this pans out. The enemy has a vote in the situation, and there remains a “last gasp” or Al Qaida Tet Offensive possibility that if properly exploited through the media, could easily derail recent security gains.
That being said, if a long term occupation of Iraq (ala Korea and Germany) is in the cards, it will remarkably re-shape the way the US is perceived in the Middle East.
Iraq is and always has been one of many fronts in the global war on terror. Even if things quiet down in Iraq –we’re not out of the woods yet. Things could still go south in Afghanistan, Pakistan looks to be on the verge of a meltdown, Taliban and their terrorist fellow travelers still roam the northwest territories. AFRICOM is standing up to handle threats that are emerging from unstable regions and extremist insurgencies. Latin America seems to be unhealthily tilting towards communism, and Al Qaeda still lurks in the global shadows.
The idea that if Iraq is “won” our troop requirements worldwide will significantly decrease needs to be dispelled now. We still live in a very dangerous world, keep that duffel bag packed.
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