What is after Iraq?

[Sirveri]

It's a question I haven't seen discussed, but I'd love some DU input on it.

We say, screw this, we're leaving, and we suddenly vanish from Iraq.

What happens? To Us, to Iraq, to the world?

My prediction is that Iraq descends (further) into civil war. And here is the crux of the matter, we caused this to happen, through our actions and inactions. We will sit idly by and watch whole sale slaughter of innocent civilians as the Iraqis take the violence to outright epic proportions. And it's all our fault. Clinton said one of his biggest regrets was not doing anything about Rwanda. We are doing nothing in Darfur. We have our hands stained with blood from Iraq, is it ethical for us to stand idly by if the situation progresses to the point of Darfur and Rwanda in Iraq? Could we do anything to stop it even if we wanted to?

I agree with out of Iraq now, but how do we fix the problems we left behind? Preferably in a non-military intervention way. Or do we simply wash our hands and say screw it, just more dead brown people?

[Lasher]

1. Iraq has already descended into civil war.

The wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians is going on already. We can't fix these problems with our military, and in some ways we're making things worse by 'staying the course' in Iraq.

[gateley]

3. Exactly another point Biden made - we can't fix these problems with our

military - a political solution is needed. That's the basis of his plan.

[Sirveri]

9. I'm aware of the civil war. And I have no interest in

'staying the course'.

My main point is what are our responsibilities as a nation to the nation of Iraq for causing such problems, after we finally get out of there.

[Lasher]

11. We can't make the Iraqis stop hating each other

The sectarian and tribal hatred behind the killing was there long before we arrived, so the moral responsibility for the killing is not ours alone.

It took Saddam's strongarm tactics to keep a relative lid on this. He said, "If there's any killing to be done around here, I'm the one who's going to do it." I am reminded of the trite neocon talking point, "Are we better off with Saddam gone?" It doesn't seem the Iraqis are.

I don't think we would be either able or inclined to install another leader like that, and I don't see the Iraqis producing one themselves anytime soon, especially as long as we occupy thir country. We have opened Pandora's box.

It is not a given that Iraq would descend even further into this civil war if we were to leave, as you have predicted. But for the sake of argument let's say it would. We might be able delay such a bloodbath, but we can't prevent it with our military. Our futile presence today in their country bears stark witness to this fact. The Iraqis themselves are primarily the ones who would have to do that.

We might be able to help with diplomacy, but I don't think the current administration has either the inclination or ability. This leaves me hoping the next president will do better in this regard. They certainly won't do worse.

[gateley]

2. Biden's plan addresses just that. Begin bringing home the troops now and

have International forces on hand to help with the rebuilding and healing. I just wish we'd get on with implementing it to see if it IS a workable solution. We're doing NOTHING now and this is the only option that's been proposed, voted on and approved.

He's been to Iraq 8 times and unlike Bush, wasn't in the middle of a heavily guarded base, so he's seen first-hand what we've done to the innocent Iraqi citizens, which is why he feels a responsibility to assist in helping the country.

[PatSeg]

8. Biden says part of the solution is building International

support to help fix the mess, but sadly this is something our current president is not capable of doing. He has lost all his credibility with world leaders. His idea of diplomacy is, "you're either fer us, or agin us", "my way or the highway".

We cannot just leave and hope for the best. What happens in Iraq will affect us and the rest of the world for decades.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. 1,- Iraq is in the midst of a civil war

2.- Iraq is in the midst of ethnic cleansing

3.- Iraq may be in the midst of genocice (that will be a little tricky to prove, for the moment)

4.- Same doom and gloom predictions were made to prevent our pull out from Nam

5.- Yes we caused this. we owe reparations... probably in the billions to whatever government or governments that emerge as well as civilians...

6.- It may get a little worst, but given what is going on right now, I doubt it will get much worst, and trust me I don't lacl a imagination.

[Swamp Rat]

5. Iran

[Think82]

6. Biden is the only (or at least was the first) to address the question:

Then what?

Great question to ask. Not enough people do it. Here, or in the media.

[Afje]

7. Same as happened after Vietnam, pretty much

The troops come home and we spend 20 years pointing fingers and then start another war under much the same circumstances. We haven't learnt anything from Vietnam and it's doubtful we will learn anything from Iraq.

Most likely it will get worse in Iraq before it gets better.

We will just have to live with it.

[gateley]

10. I'm encouraged by Biden's desire to help Iraq heal. I, as an American, don't

want to feel more shame as a result of bailing and deserting the Iraqi people, than I do now at what we've already done to that country.

I feel not only will making a sincere and heartfelt effort to help Iraq heal, will help us toward healing as well.

[Bigmack]

12. What happens to the US after Iraq?

The military-industrial complex will want to rebuild the "mighty US military machine" to the tune of 8 Scungillion dollars that we don't have. The Demopublican Congress will comply.

The dollar will continue to decline... not too far, though. China doesn't want to kill us off entirely. They've got a lot of investments here, and they need a market for their cheapest crap.

Young people in the US will be even more hopeless, if that's possible. Paying off the huge debt from the Iraq war will suck all the social programs dry, but since the Boomers outnumber all the other generations... and vote... so the Boomers will be hit least.

The Repubs will claim it was the Dems that brought us to this low state.

The world? The world will be laughing their collective asses off, and the hyenas will start to circle the once-powerful lion.... waiting.