Iraq in the Arms of Iran Posted by Suzanne Nossel

Plenty of progressives have gone quiet on Iraq, tired of wasting words and ink on advice that's consistently ignored, and genuinely confounded by how to untangle the disastrousw results of Administration policy.

The plot thickens even further with today's reports of tightening security ties between Baghdad and Tehran.  The US remains mired in a dangerous and uncertain mission in Iraq in an effort to buttress that country against the influence of terrorists and extremists.  But even as we do so, Iraq is embracing the government of the regions most dangerous proliferator and most open antagonist of the United States. 

So one of the primary outcomes our Iraq mission seeks to avoid is happening under our nose.  The US is protesting that these growing ties are having a destablizing effect on Iraq by empowering Shiite militias, but the Iraqi government does not care.  We're in no position to argue that Iraq need not turn to Iran for security, since the manifest reality is neither we nor the Iraqi armed forces can provide it.

Meanwhile our own senior military personnel are arguing in public over whether troop levels in Iraq are adequate.  After the NY Times and Wash Post reported a senior military intelligence officer saying that more manpower was needed to contain the violence in Anbar province, the best his superior could come up with was that current troop levels were adequate for the goal of training Iraq's security forces, and that trying to combat the insurgency was outside the scope of their mission.  If that's the best we're able to do, no wonder Iraq is turning to Iran.

After rounds of consultations with Middle Eastern leaders who agreed that the Iraq invasion was a disaster but were divided on whether or not we should leave (Iran, not surprisingly, offered to help show us the door), Kofi Annan pronounced that the US is now in a position where "it cannot stay and it cannot leave."   This is pretty much how the Bush Administration seems to look at it:  they won't beef up the mission to a point where it has a fighting chance of containing the insurgency, and nor will they pull out.   

What Kofi Annan left out is that the only thing worth than either deciding to stay and positioning the US with adequate troops for possible to success or deciding to leave, is declining to make any decision at all.

Comments

[Dan Kervick]

I can't avoid recalling at this time that when Mr. Maliki visited the United States, some Democrats, including Rahm Emanuel, lead a grandstanding drive to cancel Maliki's scheduled address to Congress, because Maliki was not sufficiently supportive of the Israeli slaughter in Lebanon. I'm certain that clever move reassured Maliki tremendously.

It's no surprise that Maliki would see the need to turn to Iran for security. Aside from its proximity, Iran has ties inside Iraq, and an understanding of and influence over Iraqi politics and political leaders that the US will never have. The US interest in Iraq is temporary; Iran will always have deep interests there.

[Cal]

But even as we do so, Iraq is embracing the government of the regions most dangerous proliferator...

While I agree that the Iranian regime is despicable, how can you say Iran is the "most dangerous proliferator"? So far as I know, it hasn't given WMD's or dangerous technology to any other country -- unlike say, Pakistan.

It's odd that Pakistan gets no blame for giving Iran, Libya and North Korea nuclear technology, and is somehow deemed less dangerous than a nation that's years away from the bomb.

[kamil]

There are certain things in life related to smoking that simply cannot :)
parça kontör
parça kontör bayiliği
parça kontör bayilik

[cheap rf gold]

RF online is a very good game. Through buying rf gold, I find fun in it. I am so glad that I can earn a lot of rf online gold. Gaia online cater to the taste of young people. With rf money, you can get everything you want in this game. So I like to buy rf cp.

[cheap silkroad gold]

It is the silkroad gold which make me very happy these days,

[runescape gold]

I hope i can get rs gold in low price.
i buy runescape for you.

[Runes of Magic Gold]

Once I played Rom Gold, I did not know how to get strong, someone told me that you must have Rom Gold. He gave me some Runes of Magic Gold.

[Sho Online Mun]

Do you know the Sho Online Mun, in here you can get the Sho Mun.

[Bvlgari replica Earings]

Do you know the Sho Online Mun, in here you can get the Sho Mun.

[cheap coach handbags]

Thank you for your sharing! I like i very much!

[Egitim]

thanks for sharing Sohbet many people are pay more attention to one's swearing than before, especially a watch.Chat.
Perhaps when you went to some place far away Sohbet you must borrow it from friends you can get everything you want in this game Chat money to invest in other industry which will return you good profit. Sohbet when you look at Chat
the surface of the watches viaload great any cool Exsohbet from the city you live in and thought you knew nobody there Egitim Fourth, there were various signs of political conflict among shia. If they split 3 ways or 4 ways, the sunnis and the kurds could often be the Sohbet swing votes in the politics. If they felt they had political clout out of proportion to their numbers, they could settle in Sohbet and do politics and not feel oppressed.

[coach factory outlet]

The Air Jordan Shoes is one of the most popular brands all around in the market. Air Jordan 2011 utilizing the importance of green technolog,introduced to the market, it has always received good jordan shoes sale reception from the fans. Cheap gucci Shoes may be exposed to some of the ground rubber materials are used, gucci bags online have a good grip effects, and coach factory outlet the corner location at varying degrees of thickening, making it coach purses online more wear-resistant. The famous gucci shoes sale is a famous manufacturer of shoes which many people prefer as sports gear or the accessories.