Juan Cole notes how would-be leaders in Iraq are pondering a withdrawal timetable for US troops.
It’s going to be interesting to watch what happens if powers that be in Iraq go public with such a request in the next few months. The more naive among us might ask, “Well, we went in to liberate the Iraqi people, isn’t this naturally the next step in that process?”
Actually, we didn’t; we invaded Iraq to fulfill the neocon’s vision of securing America’s interests in the region. And as long as those interests remain vulnerable (nothing would be secure in Iraq right now absent the US military) I’m hard pressed to see a major American troop withdrawal. So it will be fun to watch if our supposed interest in Iraqi sovereignty comes into conflict with the Bush administration’s real, unstated interest in expanding American dominance over the region.