Permanent US Bases, An Elephant in Two Rooms

[G_j]

An Elephant in Two Rooms (January 18, 2006)

In both Baghdad and Washington, the meaning of withdrawal is "the elephant in the room." Most Iraqis, and a growing segment of the US public, want US forces to end the occupation and withdraw from Iraq. As Gordon Robison of Mideast Analysis points out, this discussion rarely addresses US plans to establish permanent bases, which the Bush administration refuses to rule out. In addition, President Jalal Talabani and the Kurdish faction have voiced support for permanent US bases, while their Shiite and Sunni counterparts strongly oppose Washington's furtive plans.

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/occupation/bases/2006/0118elephant.htm