British Withdraw from Basra

See
news.bbc.co.uk...

Whos left in the "coalition" apart from the ozzies....

Yesterday on Sydney local TV news, Senator Robert McLelland said that he and Kevin Rudd (leader of the Opposition in Australia - Labor Party) will be letting Dubya know (when they met him for for his APEC visit) that if they are successfully elected, they will be pulling the Aussies out of Iraq as soon as possible. I am certain that he also said that Afghanistan is where Australia wants to concentrate.

So Dubya can be the star of his own bogus WOT against Iraq. I hope all other countries just back away and let the US get on with it. They started it let them end it.

I do not have a link but perhaps some other Aussies here saw that broadcast and can verify my comments.

Best withdraw now rather than waste more lives only to be thrown out (slightly later) when Iraqis elect a new government in 2009.
We are leaving the infrastructure in far worse state than when we arrived in 2003.
We are also hated more, and more people disappear for political “crimes” than 2003 (so be it at the hands of numerous, conflicting (and totally unpredictable) terrorist groups; rather than a much more predictable State Police force).
Therefore whatever our sacrifice (and it’s nothing compared to those of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis) we have failed in our stated objectives. However as we went in together perhaps it would be better if Dubya could see it so that we withdraw together?

At this very moment in time our only focus should be on backing a secular government to take over Iraq (much like they had under Saddam). Otherwise...
1. The Iraqi civil war will continue to be backed "rogue" sections of the current government. This cannot be stopped as long as they are elected by a people (or even are the people), who through the shadow of war, fanatically oppose other Iraqis on terms of religion and race.
2. The current government will eventually be brought down and replaced by something that makes Iraq an extension of Iran (far more than it ever could be today).

We don't need troops to back a pro-western government, just the Secret Service.
A few Iraqis determined to ignore their ethnic-religious identities (and willing to use any means necessary against those who believe otherwise) is all we need for a successful Iraqi government.
It's really a shame we hung Saddam, if we British were withdrawing and handing over to him I'm sure our fears about extending Iran's power range would be completely ludicrous, and we could at least congratulate ourselves on giving Iraqis an effective government. One capable of...
1. Telling Iraqis: "We are all Iraqis"
2. Running the infrastructure
3. And that kills less than all this terrorism does-has: www.cnn.com...

In my opinion the only the occupation can ever serve a useful progressive purpose is if the number one task is to provide a pro-western government like Saddam had. Instead we have provided a democratic government and this doesn’t work (in our interests) when the vast majority of people (even women) believe things like women should be stoned to death for adultery; and anyway there’s an insurgency, which has raised enough hatred from the past to create hell on earth all under the watch of the British and American flag. It doesn’t make us look good, and anyway even if (in a parell world) there was no one fighting us, there is still enough hated within any elected government to ensure it works badly at best scenario, not at all in the 2nd, and against the interests (or stated wishes of the government) in the 3rd.

British Withdraw from Basra

They have not completely withdrawn from Basra, only Basra Palace, they are now at Bastra Airport, which is their main base of operations. They will still be training the iraqi security forces, and if need be will patrol Basra is requested to do so by the Iraqi Secuirty Forces.

Give them to the end of the year then we should see a complete withdrawal. Unless Brown puts them somewhere else in Iraq out of a request from the US, which I see very doubtfull, there is already splits between the two so called allies. Failing that they will be heading for Afghanistan no doubt.

[edit on 3-9-2007 by spencerjohnstone]