Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Juan Cole finally comes around to the position that the US is doing more harm than good in Iraq and called for a "phased withdrawal" on yesterday's NewsHour. Cole had been the commentator for whom I have the most respect who up to now had stuck to the US-must-remain-in-Iraq-as-a-bloodbath-deterrent position. Commenting on the NewsHour appearance Cole writes
Yeah, he's not advocating pulling all US troops out of Iraq immediately, but it's better than his previous calls for a policy of "Special Forces and air power to support Iraqi forces". Or, maybe, you know, he's still talking about the same damn thing...
(hat tip JustForeignPolicy)
What is amazing is that Iraqi police and military forces seem to just be standing aside and letting the bloodletting and attacks go on. Either they are collaborating or afraid, and either way they are not doing their jobs. As long as they don't, the bloodletting in Iraq, which is killing 200,000 a year, will go on. [...]
I called for a phased withdrawal of US troops because I despair of getting Shiites and Kurds to compromise with Sunni Arabs in any other way. I realize that they still might not compromise, but at least there is a chance they would come to their senses if they couldn't have the Marines keep their enemies down for them.
Yeah, he's not advocating pulling all US troops out of Iraq immediately, but it's better than his previous calls for a policy of "Special Forces and air power to support Iraqi forces". Or, maybe, you know, he's still talking about the same damn thing...
(hat tip JustForeignPolicy)
Labels: Iraq War, Juan Cole, Withdrawal
