stevepole Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Today it was announced that at the end of the month, the US will end all combat operations and focus on training and support Iraq security forces and the US plans to have a full withdrawal of troops by the end of next year! However there is still no plans to withdrawal troops from Afghanistan. Opinions? news links:http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/02/obama.iraq.drawdown/index.html?hpt=T1 BBC has video of Obama giving the announcement:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10839342 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Unsurprising, considering this was a cornerstone of Obama's campaign. I personally feel it's a huge mistake, but we shall see where it leads. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I'm really not sure where to stand on this. On one hand if we withdraw, then we lose a lot of defense, but if we keep troops in then just as many people die. Whatever though, we'll see what happens soon enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I'm really not sure where to stand on this. On one hand if we withdraw, then we lose a lot of defense, but if we keep troops in then just as many people die. Whatever though, we'll see what happens soon enough.Either way people are gonna die. The army isn't the only murderer or protector there. Was Vietnam such a huge failure for us? Strictly focusing on American issues, how many US troops, citizens, and US debt did we loose after 1975 in Vietnam? And ten bucks this won't happen remotely this year. "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 And ten bucks this won't happen remotely this year.This. As much as people want it to happen, something may come up that makes an immediate end impossible if it isn't already. I'll believe it when it happens. I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danqazmlp Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 If they pull put that early the country will be left in such a state that it will probably fall and go backwards taking decades more to get up to a full working country. Imo they should stay, train and secure the country for a few more years. Want to be my friend? Look under my name to the left<<< and click the 'Add as friend' button!Big thanks to Stevepole for the signature!^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulxai Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 It won't happen in 2011. ~ Proud Father ~ Proud (Currently Deployed) Army National Guardsmen ~ Proud Lakota ~ Retired Tip.It Crew ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevepole Posted August 2, 2010 Author Share Posted August 2, 2010 And ten bucks this won't happen remotely this year.This. As much as people want it to happen, something may come up that makes an immediate end impossible if it isn't already. I'll believe it when it happens. It'll happen. At some point we (US) have to leave and I think now is the right time. What more can we do for themselves? At some point the people of Iraq need to take back full control over their country. They can't be dependent on us forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 And ten bucks this won't happen remotely this year.This. As much as people want it to happen, something may come up that makes an immediate end impossible if it isn't already. I'll believe it when it happens. It'll happen. At some point we (US) have to leave and I think now is the right time. What more can we do for themselves? At some point the people of Iraq need to take back full control over their country. They can't be dependent on us forever.What do you think is going to happen once the states leaves? I fully agree that Iraq needs full control at some point, but they aren't ready in the slightest. Leaving now basically renders the work the States has done there over the past seven years useless. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Range_This11 Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It's going to happen or he won't be re-elected. "He could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordkafei Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It's going to happen or he won't be re-elected. Obamacare has already taken care of that. PvP is not for meIn the 3rd Year of the BoycottReal-world money saved since FT/W: Hundreds of DollarsReal-world time saved since FT/W: Thousands of Hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It's going to happen or he won't be re-elected. Obamacare has already taken care of that.Unlikely on both counts. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Range_This11 Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It's going to happen or he won't be re-elected. Obamacare has already taken care of that.That would be the almost 80% (last time I looked) disapproval rating of Congress you're thinking of. He still has a legitimate chance of re-election. "He could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordkafei Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It's going to happen or he won't be re-elected. Obamacare has already taken care of that.Unlikely on both counts. Hide and watch. PvP is not for meIn the 3rd Year of the BoycottReal-world money saved since FT/W: Hundreds of DollarsReal-world time saved since FT/W: Thousands of Hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevepole Posted August 3, 2010 Author Share Posted August 3, 2010 It'll happen. At some point we (US) have to leave and I think now is the right time. What more can we do for themselves? At some point the people of Iraq need to take back full control over their country. They can't be dependent on us forever.What do you think is going to happen once the states leaves? I fully agree that Iraq needs full control at some point, but they aren't ready in the slightest. Leaving now basically renders the work the States has done there over the past seven years useless. For the next year the focus will shifted from combat operations to solely training Iraq forces and security. I would like to believe that the US knows what they are doing. I'm sure when we do leave there will be some sort of uprising but I would like to assume we have a plan in place incase the worst happens but I would also like to believe that the people of Iraq will be capable of holding their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It'll happen. At some point we (US) have to leave and I think now is the right time. What more can we do for themselves? At some point the people of Iraq need to take back full control over their country. They can't be dependent on us forever.What do you think is going to happen once the states leaves? I fully agree that Iraq needs full control at some point, but they aren't ready in the slightest. Leaving now basically renders the work the States has done there over the past seven years useless. For the next year the focus will shifted from combat operations to solely training Iraq forces and security. I would like to believe that the US knows what they are doing. I'm sure when we do leave there will be some sort of uprising but I would like to assume we have a plan in place incase the worst happens but I would also like to believe that the people of Iraq will be capable of holding their own.There's practically no evidence to support the theory that Iraq is capable of handling their own security. The US military is the only thing currently holding the country back from complete civil war - once they disappear some suggest we could see something as bad as a genocide. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_sunny Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Sometimes I wonder why we can't just simply leave and forget about it, let them settle their own problems. But of course that view would be simplifying things way too much in this complex situation. By popular demand, this signature is back- however I currently do not have a blog up at the moment and if I did I wouldn't update it. Sorry, the sig links to nowhere :( . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 It'll happen. At some point we (US) have to leave and I think now is the right time. What more can we do for themselves? At some point the people of Iraq need to take back full control over their country. They can't be dependent on us forever.True. I'm just not sure that it's possible to pick a date and say "we'll be out up by this point" without a very gradual exit. Unless they've been working on doing this for a while now (If they have, awesome, everything I posted is invalid), I'd say that they're rushing the job too much. I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriegsmier Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 OH, so you are saying he announced what we've been doing since about when he took office? Cool, thanks for letting me know pres. I guess its just official now but we've been doing this since early on 2009. Iraq has had control of the Green Zone since Jan 2009. And I was one of the last Marines out of the Anbar province in Dec 2009. Officially, the Anbar province was turned over to the Army in Jan. The US Army is an occupying force, not a combat force. I wonder where some of you get all of this information from, wikileaks? A lot of the regions in Iraq are controlled by Iraq. The Army is there strictly for support and a show of force. The rules of engagement are so tight now that they are there to back up Iraqi forces not the other way around. Insurgents are not hitting a majority of US military targets anymore....its all civilians and iraqis. Iraq even had its own military helicopters flying missions when I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latinoking Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 While he might end combat operation. Oil takeover will still continue, yes? OH, so you are saying he announced what we've been doing since about when he took office? Cool, thanks for letting me know pres. I guess its just official now but we've been doing this since early on 2009. Iraq has had control of the Green Zone since Jan 2009. And I was one of the last Marines out of the Anbar province in Dec 2009. Officially, the Anbar province was turned over to the Army in Jan. The US Army is an occupying force, not a combat force. I wonder where some of you get all of this information from, wikileaks? A lot of the regions in Iraq are controlled by Iraq. The Army is there strictly for support and a show of force. The rules of engagement are so tight now that they are there to back up Iraqi forces not the other way around. Insurgents are not hitting a majority of US military targets anymore....its all civilians and iraqis. Iraq even had its own military helicopters flying missions when I was there. Wow, very interesting. I am Teh_King[My dA][My Last.FM][My Twitter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Sometimes I wonder why we can't just simply leave and forget about it, let them settle their own problems. But of course that view would be simplifying things way too much in this complex situation.If only it were that simple. :( Popoto.~<3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Sometimes I wonder why we can't just simply leave and forget about it, let them settle their own problems. But of course that view would be simplifying things way too much in this complex situation.If only it were that simple. :(Well, the British and French "protectors" wanted a group of different people to be united under a single flag, like their own. Forgot was Hastings, 100 Years War, English Civil War, the French Revolution, 7 Year War... Either way, they're going to kill each other. We live in a time no different than before. Why we think we're so advanced and reached our "post-war" era is beyond me. "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirate_Felix Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 I think when they leaveand iraq goes bad again (talibans ruling the land)people will riot becausebecausethey now know it can be done differently too. [hide]Felix, je moeder.Je moeder felixJe vader, felix.Felix, je oma.Felix, je ongelofelijk gave pwnaze avatar B)Felix, je moeder.[/hide] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 1) The Taliban never ruled Iraq. 2) Given enough fear, the people won't go for what they want. "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeitormakeit2 Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 I think when they leaveand iraq goes bad again (talibans ruling the land)people will riot becausebecausethey now know it can be done differently too.That is one of the many reasons America should not busy itself with other countries, particularly Middle Eastern countries', affairs. I'm still to hear a consistent government statement as to why we entered. Quite frankly Saddam was not that bad of a ruler as he was made out to be and there wouldn't be so many issues if we hadn't backed our beloved Shah (-.-). Many of the Middle Eastern conflicts are a result of American ignorant and self-motivated interventionism. Even though I don't like Obama, I think this would be a correct step, even though I find the whole situation a loss. He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked... Your daily life is your temple and your religion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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