Attempt to Delay U.S. Troops’ Withdrawal from Iraq

The New York Times (4/17/11) reported that the speaker of the House of Representatives of the American Congress, John A. Boehner, was in Iraq. According to the report, Mr. Boehner met with the Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to discuss delaying the withdrawal of U.S. troops, which is scheduled for December 31, 2011. The rationale used by Mr. Boehner is that the Iraqi army is not yet capable of protecting Iraqi security and further training is needed.

Prime Minister al-Maliki’s response was that the Iraq security forces are ready to protect the country’s national security. Furthermore, the U.S. troops will leave Iraq on schedule, according to the U.S. and Iraqi governments’ signed agreement. However, it was agreed that 119 American soldiers would stay in Iraq to train Iraqi forces on the new weapons purchased from the U.S. by the Iraqi government.

It is a very strange strategy that the U.S. government has been pursuing vis-a-vis Iraq. A few weeks earlier, the American Secretary of Defense Mr. Gates visited Iraq to discuss the same problem with the Iraqi Prime Minister. He was told that there is no need for American troops to delay their withdrawal.

It seems to me that the American strategy of colonialism, despite its negative consequences on Iraq as well as on the U.S., is not going to end.

A few points need to be made to shed light on American political and military strategies. First, why was the American military Viceroy Mr. P. Brenner’s first priority after the Iraq invasion of 2003 to dismantle the Iraqi army of nearly 500,000 soldiers? Also, why did he give an order to destroy its military armaments and turn it into metal scraps that were then shipped out of Iraq? Mr. Brennan was not only satisfied with his plan to destroy Iraqi military forces, but he also did similar things to Iraqi industries. He dismantled more than 500 government owned industries and contributed to the unemployment of over 500,000 Iraqi workers. The U.S. invasion of Iraq under false pretenses was planned for the benefit of American oil companies, Israel and the American military industrial complex. The U.S invasion destroyed Iraq economically, politically and environmentally and put the country 50 years behind.

Furthermore, the American invasion of Iraq produced many negative consequences to the U.S. as well. Let me refer to only two negative points. First, it caused the deaths of more than 4,500 American soldiers. Second, it cost the American taxpayers between 2.5 and 3 trillion dollars, according to an estimate made by well-known American economists. The U.S. borrowed money from foreign states such as China to fight foreign wars. It also amazing to see the number one Republic leader, Mr. Boehner, is trying to pressure the Iraqi government to delay the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq. Meanwhile, he has been appearing on TV screens to show the American people that the Republicans are very concerned about American budget deficit. He wants to slash spending from programs that help the poor and the needy, but he is not concerned about military spending. He should be asked a simple question – how much does it cost the American taxpayers to keep nearly 50,000 American troops in Iraq per year?

I am sure it will be more than 38 billion dollars, which they slashed from the recent budget agreement between Republicans and Democrats. Furthermore, if the Republicans are concerned about foreign debt, which exceeds 14 trillion dollars, why is the U.S. still fighting a war in Afghanistan to protect a corrupt regime? I am sure that the cost of that war exceeds the 38 billion dollars taken away from needed programs.