What do you think would happen if we withdrew from Iraq ??

[kentuck]

Would the Iraqis all throw down their arms and embrace each other? That is doubtful. Would they resort to civil war, with carbombs and roadside bombs? The level of violence would remain about the same as now?

Or would leaders from each competing group be able to form a new government if the US was not involved? Would it actually be worse if we left?

Chances are, the killings would continue. Civil war appears to be inevitable, whether we are there or not. The only difference being there would be fewer American casualties if we left. Any other scenarios?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. It would depend on how we withdrew

if we got an international coalition, mostly from Islamic countries, there might be hope that there could be some mediation so that the peoples of Iraq could cobble together some sort of federal system that gives the different groups some sort of autonomy.

But I fear that what will eventually happen is that we will simply leave, and chaos will ensue.

[0007]

8. A civil war is inevitable no matter what the U.S. does!

How would we feel if another country tried to interfere with our civil war?

[Liberty Belle]

15. Why is there more concern for Iraqis than for our children?

If Iraqis choose to kill each other, that is a shame. But no Iraqi life is worth more than my children's lives. We never should have gone in there to begin with, and we have only succeeded in escalating the violence and slaughtering 100,000 Iraqi people. 1,000 Americans are dead and 10,000 seriously injured--facing a lifetime of pain and in many cases, brain damage.

The U.S.-led violence must stop now, before a draft is reinstated and thousands more Americans are killed or maimed.

[FrenchieCat]

26. So American lives.....

are more "valuable" than Iraqi lives. Who's deciding that?

We went in when we shouldn't have for reasons that have really not been made clear (well they are clear to me...but not enough time right now for that).

In my opinion the lives of innocents are worth as much as those of soldiers. Most of those dying didn't decide to have us invade....and many soldiers didn't choose to invade. That's what this administration did....with the help of our congress (our elected representatives did).

So looks about even to me on the "value" scale.

[7th_Sephiroth]

2. it will fraction into different countries responding to religion

and there will be 100 years of civil war with each religion fighting for the country

[Disturbed]

7. No civil war.

The various groups would hammer out power sharing in three basic areas of the country. The al Q. followers may still be attacking but the Shi'ites, Kurds and Sunnis would band together to drive them out. That is a possible scenerio. There has never been an all out war between the three majority groups. It is a myth perpetuated by the Bush Junta.

[The Doctor.]

3. I'm not well versed in the particular dynamics....

But I imagine not much would be different if we left save that the UN might get involved.

I expect we would see the rise of another Islamic State, possibly with ACTUAL ties to Al-Qaeda.

I imagine they might trade in Euros as reserve currency as well.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

4. Stay or go = Civil war ending with a fundamentalist Islamic state.

:mad: :grr:

[LostInAnomie]

5. Civil War is inevitable

If we stay it will only happen on a slower time-table.

My personal opinion is that it needs to be broken into three countries Shi'ite, Sunni, Kurd. It will never happen though.

[TheFarseer]

6. Afghanistan II n/t

[impeach the gop]

9. Dancing in the streets

And maybe a ticker tape parade of FLOWERS!!!!

No, really, I trust the Iraqi's to be more competent in handling
their own affairs than the incompetent buffoons "liberating them
to death".

They are survivors in the truest sense. They seem to be beating
the "occupiers" without all the fancy war toys rummy has our
great great great great grandchildren paying for. Smart bombs
indeed! Least the Iraqi's can hit the right target! Intelligence
is not the bush regime's better qualities :-) Fact is these chickenhawk's are truly the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

27. LOL

There would definately be dancing in the streets, probably all over the world.

[tk2kewl]

10. We cant just withdraw

we should say it was mistake and ask for the support of NATO, the UN and the Arab nations to stabilize the country and hold elections when they can be conducted fairly and safely

[kentuck]

11. What specifically do you think would happen if we did withdraw ?

You think it would be much worse than at present?

[tk2kewl]

13. I think we have created a breeding ground for extremism

i think Iraq would become Afghanistan

[kentuck]

14. Are you suggesting Iraq is "better off" than Afghanistan at this time ?

I think that would be debatable...

[tk2kewl]

17. i mean it will become the afganistan of last last 15 yrs

[Yupster]

30. All the Iraqis who have helped us

would have their heads chopped off. That's hundreds of thousands of people. We at least need to get them out safely before we leave.

This killing fields would be done quite in the open on tv.

[Pepper32]

33. You're right.

Now that we have greatly help deepen their hatred for one another, their problem IS our problem.

Their is no easy way out of this...

[IndianaGreen]

12. Not our problem!

Iraq is for Iraqis, and we should stop intervening in the affairs of that nation as we have since the mid-1950s.

We do have a moral obligation to pay reparations to Iraq and to prosecute US civilian and military leaders responsible for our invasion of Iraq.

[Poiuyt]

16. I believe you're right about civil war being inevitable

But I think it wouldn't last long, one or two years before they broke into their own groups. Turkey might come and join in against the Kurds.

But what do I know. Haven't they been fighting for 3000 years?

[LynnTheDem]

37. "Fighting for 3000 years"

Not each other, they haven't. Outside forces, they have.

[Lefty48197]

18. Islamic Republic of West Iranistan

.

[spanone]

19. Our soldiers would stop dying. Bush* will not allow it.

It's the best thing that ever happened to him.

[Disturbed]

20. Damn, all the civil war is inevitable posts.

I'd like to know why, exactly, people believe that this would be the case.

[kentuck]

21. Why do you think this would not be the case ?

Since the Sunni have been killing the Shiites by the dozens with carbombs and assassinations? The Shiites do not wish to be ruled by the Sunni again, as they were with Saddam. How do you envision them working out their differences??

[Disturbed]

23. Maybe the factions will realize...

that killing each other will not solve their mutual problems. Maybe they will see that by working together that they will profit more than working against each other, especially through violence. It has also been reported but not known factualy, that the Sunnis and Shi'ites have been working together to get rid of the U.S. Occupation. Of course, I don't know what would happen. I am guessing based upon reading a few sources about Iraqi history and following a few web sites that explain what is transpiring in Iraq.

[kentuck]

25. I don't think it would be worse with America gone....

and I would agree, that the chances to stop the present hostilities may actually be better with America gone...

28. Because the news said so...

duh!

[LynnTheDem]

39. bushCartell, Chalabi & Co and the US State Media says so.

Why listen to what the Iraqis themselves say. Americans know better. *sarcasm*

[kcass1954]

22. That's been my thought for some time now

In keeping with the fragmented reality of the current administration, I believe that we should "Declare victory" and leave.

[Disturbed]

24. It depends...

a lost upon what party wins the Iraqi election. If it is al Sistani backed party with al Sadr and Achmed Chalabi maybe there won't be a civil war. if it's Allawi and his group, most likely the Insurgency will continue.

[TankLV]

29. No more non-Iraqi's would DIE FOR A L IE - and a lot fewer Iraqi's would

die, too.

It couldn't be any worse, that's for sure.

[Yupster]

31. Oh it could be a lot worse

That's very easy to envision.

[Pepper32]

32. Civil war

I see another Rwanda in the making, only worse. :(

[leftofthedial]

34. same shit that's happening now

with different targets

our presence merely guarantees that the conflict will be protracted, which is the neocon "mission"

[radfringe]

35. Civil war

and/or invasion by Iran -- which will drag us back in there

[LynnTheDem]

36. No civil war.

That's a bushCartel propaganda myth used as an excuse not to leave Iraq.

When we are forced out, Iraq will respond as it did when the UK was forced to leave their occupation of Iraq, and the Iraqi people will sort things out for themselves just fine.

"Odd. Isn't it? There never has been a civil war in Iraq. I have never heard a single word of animosity between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq. Al Qaida has never uttered a threat against Shias....Yet for weeks the American occupation authorities have been warning us about civil war....Somehow I don't believe it"
- Robert Fisk The Independent 3 March 2004.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5805.htm

The Sunni Versus Shia Myth

Much that has been written about the ‘division’ between the Sunni and Shia in Iraq is not only a total distortion of the demographics of the Iraqi population, it also feeds into the propaganda campaign of ‘divide and rule’ tactics that even opponents of the war and occupation can fall into the trap of accepting as true...

http://www.williambowles.info/ini/ini-0156.html

Sowing The Seeds Of Civil War In Iraq

Bush and Blair continue to peddle the myth, beloved of old colonialists, that Iraqis will start a civil war if the "benevolent" presence of the occupation forces is removed.

It is the US-led presence itself which is dividing Iraqis now. The US is deepening a split between a minority for and an overwhelming majority against the US-led forces.

-Sami Ramadani is a senior lecturer in sociology at London Metropolitan University and was a political exile from Saddam's regime

http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-ramadani030704.htm

Unembedded in Iraq

The Shia/Sunni rift is largely a CIA generated myth. There are countless tribes and marriages alike that are both Shia/Sunni. There are mosques here where they pray together.

There is the possibility of war if the Kurds go independent, but the more likely possibility of that war would be Turkey invading Kurdistan before any Shia/Sunni action would occur regarding this.

Another Iraqi man pointed out that if there were a civil war, no Shia or Kurdish attack on Fallujah could ever possibly compare to the devastation the US military has caused there. I think he makes a good point.

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/20669

End the Iraq War

The Bush administration has promoted the idea that Iraq will descend into civil war and chaos without the occupation. This argument is no more credible than the “terrorist base” argument.

Unlike the United States, Iraq has never had a full-fledged civil war. There have been various revolts and revolutions, but never a full-fledged civil war on the scale of the American civil war. This propaganda about the inevitability of civil war if the US pulls out plays off stereotypes and prejudices many Americans have about “third world” peoples – that “they” are extremely unstable, have lots of civil wars, frequent coups and major ethnic tensions. Such stereotypes simply do not apply to Iraq.

http://question-everything.mahost.org/Socio-Politics/Iraq.html

[chelsea0011]

38. Same thing that will happen sooner or later.......

A Civil War between differing groups that will continue for decades.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

40. The white man's burden? We're soooo goood at it.

We all know those poor benighted natives can't possibly handle their own affairs. We bringers of democracy and freedom do ever so much better a job. Why, just look at our record:

Vietnam
Laos
Cambodia
Angola
Congo
Mozambique
Guatamala
Honduras
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Chile
etc.

We certainly saved those countries from bloodshed and civil war...didn't we?

[murray hill farm]

41. There is the "break it, you pay for it" belief...

so...now difficult to back out...even if that was considered. But sometimes, everyone overextends themselves financially...and then finds that bankruptcy is the only way to go. We have bankrupted ourselves in this war..and our debt continues to grow and grow. Even given the breakit/payforit...belief...and our responsibility for it...some has been done to give us a way out...the forgiveness of debt to Iraq has been established already..and if Iraq can have its oil profits back, then it has its ability to finance its own reconstruction...and will evolve to whatever political situation is in the cards.

[rfkrfk]

42. Three bhantustans

Swampers, want to join Jordan, Kurds

[Pepperbelly]

43. it will Balkinize.

After that, who knows?

The possibilities are endless. Iran, Turkey, War between the mini-nations, chaos.

[pstans]

44. It is all about the Oil

We aren't going to be leaving until the US has control of the majority of the Iraqi oil. Shrub and his energy friends back in Texas need access to this oil to keep their shady business tatics going.

Once we have the oil secured and the streets of Iraq are somewhat secure (to save face in the World), we will pull out troops.