Time to get out of Iraq as well as Syria?

Yes, we need to get out of Iraq.

I see the Pentagon sent 100 Marines and 2 Apaches to to ensure the security of our Embassy and personnel in Baghdad....so this doesn't turn into another Benghazi where we didn't respond to life-and-death situations for our Embassy people. Protecting our embassy personnel is a good thing.

The bad thing will be if we don't leave after the situation has calmed down. We should not go to war with Iran over Iraq. We should not go to war in the Middle East....Period. That would be a broken promise by our President. He cannot crumble to pressure from 20 years of unnecessary intervention in the Middle East.

Skimming through trending "Iraq" posts on Twitter, I saw a post by Ingraham which sums up my feelings on this current event.


Laura Ingraham‏Verified account @IngrahamAngle 3h3 hours ago

Notice that the “experts” who pushed for invading Iraq in 2003, have been urging military escalation in same region as we enter 2020. Only way Trump could lose in November is to forget why he won in 2016.

 

1. 'Brilliant' American strategic thinkers created the cancer in Iran when they helped overthrow that awful socialist Mossadegh and installed the Shah.
2. 'Brilliant' American strategic thinkers spread the cancer in Iran when they helped overthrow that awful Shah.
3. 'Brilliant' American strategic thinkers fed the cancer in Iran when they helped overthrow that awful socialist Saddam who was effectively checking Iran in the ME.

America's "Best and Brightest" have a long history executing that kind of savvy strategic thinking. See Vietnam, Afghanistan, Cuba, Guatemala, Panama ... .

 

Trump needs to figure out how to relieve generals.
He could Google "Truman Korea MacArthur" for guidance.

 

I would love for Trump to make the announcement - he's bringing them home. The recent attack upon our soldiers and our embassy gives him all the political cover he needs. The American people are sick and tired of those wars. If the Iraqi government cannot/will not protect our troops or our embassy, then we should say goodbye.

 

We didn't defeat ISIS in Syria, Assad's forces did with Russian training and air help, and with manpower from Iran and Hezbollah. The US supports ISIS near Syria's oil wells, so they can have an excuse for being there - other than just stealing the oil.

To appease Washington and it's allies, Russia allowed their agents who were embedded with the terrorists in E. Aleppo and Ghouta to escape. With them the terrorists also escaped and are now in Idlib under Erdogan's care. To protect his own men, and not besmirch Turkey's good name, Erdogan is sending the terrorists to Libya to fight General Haftar, as well as kill undesirables such as Christians at will.

Turkey is not the only one that supports the Muslim Brotherhood PM in Tripoli, we and the UN are doing so as well.

You know damn well that we and our allies are the ones bombing the Syrians. But look, if you want to deceive the American people and make them believe black is white, and white is black, then be my guest. Don't be surprised though when it backfires - and it will.

 

The geniuses that chose to install a gate that a street mob could breach should spend the rest of their government service shoveling dung off the streets SF/LA.

 

You know damn well that the Russians are bombing people in Syria. If we create the "cancer" of IS through our military actions, then surely Assad and Putin are doing likewise.

 

From a Fox News columnist ...

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/joe...raq-here-is-the-way-forward-in-mideast-for-us

 

"We should not be tricked into thinking we have to stay in Iraq, partnered with a government that has done nothing but betray us. We can leave until they make a compelling reason for us to return. We do not need Iraq, they need us."


Big difference in us being somewhere because they invited us and being there because we told them they needed us there and gave them no choice.

If Trump doesn't get us out of there, we're never leaving.

 

Saudi Arabia is a medieval kingdom. The only real interests we have there is "oil." And, that's fast becoming unfashionable. Israel is immersed in its own domestic political problems. Netanyahu is searching for Plan B. Our invasion of Iraq was his original Plan A, with a little help from his friends (namely us). IMO, we need a totally new and comprehensive Middle Eastern policy that includes a guarantee of Israel sovereignty, but also recognizes interests of other countries in the region. That said, it is understandable why Israel maintains its focus on its own "existential issue." Trump seems to think he can rely on Putin promises to ensure Israel's survival, in exchange for some promised new oil cartel between ourselves, Russia and the Saudis.
Sometimes...it ISN"T all about money. And, IMO, that's what Putin understands and is simply playing the Orange Man.
We may be more in danger of nuclear war in both the Middle East and the Far East than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

 

What we have in Iraq now is the same Shiite militias we fought the first go round. Obama brought them back in to fight ISIS, or that was the story. We were always going to come to this when that happened. Iran is a major player in Iraq now that they have their proxy military groups in place and at their fighting peak. It's get serious or get out. They attack us, kill our people and then we strike back and become the villains because we don't belong there. Well neither do those Iranian militias but they are Muslim.

 

Trump needs to get his own head screwed on correctly, and that may be impossible. He is great on lip service, as even new politicians are, but very poor grades on delivering. He can talk the talk, but is unable to walk the walk.

Hoping for the best, Happy New Year to all.

 

They invited us back when they were about to lose it all to ISIS. I agree though, it has run it's course and we should get out.

 

The Shiites are the majority population in Iraq. Same as in Iran. Iraq was ruled by a semi-secular Sunni and the Sunni minority. We upset the religious balance of power when we invaded Iraq. The rest has been civil and religious wars between Muslim sects.
Both Obama and Trump have been trying to extract us from Bush Junior errors following 9/11, but in different ways. Obama wanted a withdrawal from the Middle East based on collective security. Trump wants to just walk away...but that would ultimately leave Israel alone and without friends.
Incidentally, although I'm not a big Biden fan, he was one of the few that thought the solution to a post Saddam Hussein Iraq was a division of the country into three religious segments...the Shiites in the east, the Sunnis in the west and the Kurds in the north. We preferred to stick with the post-WWI European borders arranged by Britain and France, when they divided up the Ottoman Empire.

 

Well, the Saudi military isn't Medieval, either. They are a power in the region, and together with Israel and us and our other allies, form an important bloc and a counter to Iran. We can have friends in charge of all that oil and the ocean shipping lane through there, or we can have a hostile mess. I expect this is what undergirds all of our military efforts in the region. Countering terrorism is what they sell us, the public. Same as toppling dictators out of some sense of promoting democracy and all that. The main interest is in controlling, to at least some extent, a very important part of the planet.

 

We have two legitimate interests in the Middle East...oil and Israel. Perhaps, some American members of Judaism or Christian Fundamentalist who look forward to the End of Days, would fight for Israel and even fewer Texans for oil; otherwise, the rest of us are interested solely in assisting to avoid a global nuclear war.

 

You are funny.

Don't worry. We can defend ourselves against any real threat from our neighbours. We (unlike the U.S.) have centuries of cultural tolerance and understanding.

U.S. "protection" in this instance is identical to "protection" as the Mafia provides businesses through an agreement not to shoot up the place. It is called "EXTORTION", not protection.

I'm not a gambler.

 

Obama simply took his ball and went home, he had no plan Bush made him do it. Bush didn't make him go back. Obama traded Iranian dominance for ISIS control, we all saw him do it and anyone who didn't know that was going to be trouble down the line will buy a bridge. Those people are not and never were our friends.

 

We need to pull out of the Middle East entirely. But when we do, we don't leave ANY tanks, trucks, weapons, military vehicles of ANY kind. Let those bastards chunk rocks.

Then we NEVER let any middle easterners in this country, which requires total sealing of our southern border as well as visa denials like a mf'r.

 

LOL! Your kidding about Europes "centuries of cultural tolerance and understanding." Right?
If not, they left a lot out of your history texts.

"EXTORTION", requires a threat. Where is the threat? That we will leave you to do your DYI thing?

 

And many of the same people who developed that approach with Obama and encouraged the creation of the IS are still running the military industrial complex.

 

My city has been inhabited since before your country was "discovered".

How many thousands or millions of armed U.S. soldiers are there in Europe? Not to mention enough nuclear weapons to destroy the whole planet several hundred times & economical sanctions. That's the threat.

 

Trump is one of the few presidents who has actually delivered, and that in spite of ferocious bipartisan opposition from a united corrupt ruling political class. Look at your IRA. Trump is standing alone against another major war.

 

One question. Obama was willing to leave roughly 5K-10K troops in Iraq, provided they remained under the UCMJ. The Iraqi parliament turned that down, insisting that all U.S. forces be subject to Iraqi law and Iraqi courts. That was as good as forcing the U.S. out, rather than remain against the Iraqi government. Later, with the rise of ISIS (originally formed by former Al Qaeda people), we sent forces back ion, on a limited basis. Today, we have approximately 5K forces in-country and a few more across the border prone sting the Syrian oil fields from whom? The Syrians? Remnants of ISIS? Anyhow, regarding the 5K in-country, are they under Iraqi law or the UCMJ? If the latter, did the Iraqi parliament change their mind?

 

Russia is not above causing trouble for the USG, but I have seen no evidence that Putin/Russia helped create or supported ISIS.
Do you have a source for that? It would be a keeper.