Iraq violence could end "within weeks" of foreign troop withdrawal

[Egalitarian]

<snip>
MA: You want an immediate American withdrawal?

MK: Yes!

MA: But isn’t this going to exacerbate the situation, at least in the short-term?

MK: This is what the Americans and some people in the Iraqi government – who are fearful of losing their positions – want you to believe. The reality is there might be a conflict for a few days…

MA: Days?!

MK: I don’t envisage the conflict lasting more than two weeks.

MA: Given the intensity of the sectarian war in the past two years, will all the deaths, displacement, misery, resentment and thirst for revenge that go with it; you really think all this can be settled in a 2 week war?

MK: Yes all of this can be sorted out in a week, maximum two weeks.

MA: This is an extraordinary claim! Please explain how.

MK: The American and British militaries are responsible for the sectarian conflict. The respectable leaders on both sides are not calling for this war. You are right, there are bad feelings, but the respectful and popular leaders do not want conflict. I am not talking about the key people in government; nobody follows them and they don’t matter. They will be swept away within hours once the occupiers leave Iraq. But take popular leaders like Grand Ayatollah Sistani and Sayed Muqtada Al-Sadr; they speak for all Iraqis, not just the Shias.
<snip>



Interview here: http://www.saudidebate.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=573&Itemid=121

[ClintonTyree]

1. There's no profit margin in peace....

and this war in Iraq is making many thousands of Americans and a few Iraqis extremely rich. And after all, isn't that the bottom line for the planners and facilitators of this war? Bush has run out of reasons to justify his war in Iraq, except the REAL one: the money, the oil.
I don't know if I'd go as far as saying the war would be over within 2 weeks of America's troop withdrawal, but it sure would hasten a peace process. But as long as they can keep siphoning money from the U.S. Treasury directly into their bank accounts there's little impetus to stop the process.
Perhaps if Congress were to draw the purse-strings tighter....... :shrug:

[Egalitarian]

2. Yep. Follow the money.(nt)

[originalpckelly]

3. Oh like hell it would. "We'll be greeted as liberators" comes to mind.

That's a bunch of bullshit, instead of having Americans and Iraqis to shoot at, then the Sunni's and Shiites would have only Iraqis.

No one on our side should be saying this, because I'm fairly certain that it will only get worse, and not being fully honest is a sign of profound disrespect to America. I'm tired of people on both sides painting rosy pictures.