Comments on DAMF: Bombing Kurds

I'm having a real problem with the "fuck the Iraqis" strategy. I don't want escalation, I don't want war with Iran, I don't want hegemony. But I also don't think it is liberally moral to have gone into a country, created a huge power vacuum, castrated the existing security forces, opened the way for a bloody and personal civil war... and then skip town with a nice "Enjoy, suckers!" aside.

No, America made a mess, and it needs to be cleaned up. If we don't clean it up, then we will have succeeded in creating just another nation of people who fucking hate us for decades.

What we need to do is a better job at stabilizing the country. We need to start pulling in outside input. The cleanup of Iraq should become a UN mission with the US making an earnest contribution, but with lots of ME involvement as well.

Our continued presence isn't going to accomplish any of these goals. It's like a bull loose in a glass shop, after everything's broken you don't ask the bull for tips on how to make vases, you get the bull the hell out of the shop. Our presence is the destabilizing force.

We need to support the Iraqi people and elected Iraqi government by, crazy idea here, listening to them - especially when they're saying get out of their country. Working with the Iraqi government to work out the details of withdrawal and forking over the funds to provide for an international stabilizing force chosen and arranged by the Iraqi government is a step in the right direction. The racism inherent in the 'Iraqis need to step up' victim-blaming rhetoric is absurd, the people of Iraq can and will take control and leadership of their country given the chance and the resources to do so; our very presence undermines that process.

Seriously, why should the Iraqis trust at all? Especially when we keep killing and blowing up innocent civilians and the people who are our allies; like Dan pointed out, that's no way to make friends.