How can America get out of Iraq? (Schell/Chomsky/Zinn/Polk ideas)

[papau]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1214967,00.html

How can America get out of Iraq?

As the situation in Iraq goes from bad to worse, Noam Chomsky, Jonathan Schell, Howard Zinn and William Polk outline possible exit strategies for the US Wednesday May 12, 2004

Jonathan Schell : Let the Iraqis build their own future

<snip>Under these circumstances, staying the course cannot benefit Iraq. On the contrary, each additional day that American troops continue to fight in Iraq can only compound the eventual price of the original mistake. More lives, American and Iraqi, will be lost; the society will be disorganised and pulverised; and any chances for a better future will be reduced, not fostered.<snip>

But all combat operations should cease immediately, and then, on a fixed and announced timetable, the American forces should withdraw from the country. In short, the US, working with others, should give Iraqis their best chance to succeed in their own efforts to create their own future.<snip>

Noam Chomsky: Transfer real sovereignty

<snip>Such steps entail abandonment of plans to establish the first secure military bases in a client state at the heart of the world's major energy reserves - a powerful lever of world control, as has been understood for 60 years, a means to subordinate the region more fully to US interests and the prime motive for the invasion, according to western polls in Baghdad. <snip>

That is a sensible stand, if Iraqis agree, as seems likely, though the (UN) general assembly, less directly controlled by the invaders, is preferable to the security council as the responsible transitional authority. <snip>

Howard Zinn: Let the UN broker power

<snip>The only rational argument for continuing on the present course is that things will be worse if we leave. In Vietnam, they promised a bloodbath if we left. That did not happen. <snip>

What would be a reasonably good scenario to accompany our departure? The UN should arrange, as US forces leave, for an international group of peacekeepers and negotiators from the Arab countries to bring together Shia, Sunnis and Kurds and work out a solution for self governance that would give all three groups a share in political power. <snip>

William R Polk: UN trusteeship is the best answer

<snip>The world press has reported that very little real authority will be handed over to the Iraqis or the UN. If the UN is to be of any value in pacifying Iraq, it cannot simply be used by the US as a fig leaf. It must show Iraqis that it is truly independent, and so a worthwhile step forward for them.

For all that, some form of UN trusteeship appears to be the best answer now available. It seems to me that the best form of trusteeship is minimal, not much more than attempting to keep order. Anything more will certainly raise fears in Iraq that outsiders - the United States or the UN - really intend to stay. <snip>

[Moderator]

1. papau

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.

DU Moderator

[papau]

2. Sad that only reply is your 8 paragraphs are too many - I wish folks

would discuss this -

but no matter -

And you are correct that my two paragraph per person's article does exceed the 4 paragraph rule if more than 2 articles are in one "article" connected to by the link. Sorry.

But I just wish we could get a conversation going on How to get out of Iraq - we all seem to be on the same page as to getting out of Iraq - but the GOP keep saying we have no plan as to how to do it.

sigh.....

in any case - Sorry about the rules violation.

[cornfedyank]

3. anything more from the United Iraqi Scholars Group???

there was word last weekend about this new group.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9513017%255E1702,00.html

these sound like the people that could claim power and ask us to please leave. "Thanks. We will handle it from here."

then shrub et al can say that this was the plan all along, declare victory and come home..if their egos will allow.

[zonmoy]

5. But would this group

give bushco all their resources and kiss his boots like a good slave/colony nation.

[Mountainman]

4. It seems only logical that we have to stop the killing and abandon PNAC

PNAC's existence is the reason we are in Iraq and PNAC's survival is the reason we are staying their. Not only do we have to leave Iraq but PNAC supporters have to be driven out of our government.

Americans must be made to see that is is not a war against terrorism. It is a war of imperialism. We don't have the resources to do what PNAC calls for and we don't have the will to pay the price if we did.

This whole cabal must be exposed for what it is and must be purged from our society!


On edit:

The American people need to apologize to the world and the Iraqis for the damage done and pay for the rebuilding of Iraq and the restoring of good releations with the rest of the world

[zonmoy]

6. Do you honestly think

that apologising will actually work anymore. Or does the world need much stronger medicine against us. Think antitrust laws used on a nation.

[cornfedyank]

7. if we just leave things may be ok

they will have civil war, hopefully short. everybody has weapons. it can be like the final scene from "The good, the bad, and the ugly".

our press won't cover it. the new fall season will start. and every thing will be fine. then shrub et al say that was the plan all along?

[cornfedyank]

8. this theory, of course, leaves us screwed--other issues will be ignored.

wage peace----dabble at war

[struggle4progress]

9. I liked this conclusion in Part III of the article ...

by Ray Close "former CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia" who "served for 27 years as an 'Arabist' for the agency":

There has to be regime change in Washington. It's the only way to solve the Iraq problem.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1215006,00.html