Iraqis Afraid of American Warmongering

From Huffpost:

The Iraqi government looks ready to turn down a proposal from the American armed forces to establish 58 bases across Iraq and to have the power to decide what constitutes an attack on Iraq from outside nations. The establishing of 58 bases would almost certainly mean a long-term presence in Iraq. The agreement requires the approval of the Iraqi Parliament.

There a number of reason why the Iraqi’s (and for the same reasons, why the American Government should decline) the agreement. Besides the fact that a longterm presence is sure to mean longterm hostilities (if you don’t agree, look at Okinawa; an island full of some of the worlds most peaceful people has been adamantly advocating for the removal of American Marines for 60 years) the Iraqi government is afraid American will draw Iraq into a war with Iran.

Ha, imagine that! Can you think of any other times we’ve used American influence to put Iraq at war with Iran? Preposterous.

Jalal al Din al Saghir, a leading member of the Iraqi government, made another good point, that it was asking like Iraq to sign off on their occupation. Kind of like after the blitzkrieg, Germany asking Poland if they could stick around for a while.

The American military currently occupies 106 bases across Iraq. That means this plans calls for the establishment of a permanent occupying force roughly half the size of our current force! Starting to sound like a colonial army to me.

Maybe by 2012 we’ll have heard about Iraq casting purple-fingered ballots along with Puerto Rico in the Democratic Primary.

-Marc-

-Update- Apparently this agreement also includes immunity for American Defense Contractors from Iraqi Law.

This is especially controversial after private security guards massacred 17 Iraqi’s last summer. The fact that private contractors could be afforded the same protection as the U.S. Armed Forces there already, who have a different set of guidelines to adhere to, denigrates the standards to which American troops are held. Making shaky foundations shakier in Iraq.