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Just now being reported is that the last of the "combat" troops are now leaving Iraq! Although this gives me great joy to hear (my son is soon leaving for boot camp-Marine-)does this mean that we are finished for good in that country? What if 6 months from now it's once again in the midst of another civil war...do we return? And with these troops (our family and loved ones ) coming home to a struggleling economy, what impact will that have here?

Originally posted by tru-marvell
Just now being reported is that the last of the "combat" troops are now leaving Iraq! Although this gives me great joy to hear (my son is soon leaving for boot camp-Marine-)does this mean that we are finished for good in that country?

No. Support personal will remain.

Originally posted by tru-marvell
What if 6 months from now it's once again in the midst of another civil war...do we return?

We will have to go back.

Originally posted by tru-marvell
And with these troops (our family and loved ones ) coming home to a struggleling economy, what impact will that have here?

Not good.

precise-concise....some of my teachers would have love U...lol

Originally posted by tru-marvell
precise-concise....some of my teachers would have love U...lol

I won't believe this until we see Obama under a Mission Accomplished banner.

as soon as I can get to my desktop I'm sure I can produce....ur uhm....post such a picture-l0l

Here we go:
http://www.bobsviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/obama-mission-accomplished.jpg

Of course, that's still ironic since the mission isn't done. We're going to have 50000 troops there and some new stations seem to think humanitarian aid is going to rise after the withdrawal.

**** YEAH, OBAMA DID IT.




CHAAAAANGE!!!!

Originally posted by Bardock42
**** YEAH, OBAMA DID IT.




CHAAAAANGE!!!! Yeah... I laughed.

Not bad German... Not bad.

none of the security contractors are coming home

does anyone know how many 'support' personel will be remaining?

hopefully zero by at least this time next year.

Originally posted by politicsguy
does anyone know how many 'support' personel will be remaining?

As several people have said: there are going to be 50000 US troops left there, plus most or all of the mercenaries who have been there.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
As several people have said: there are going to be 50000 US troops left there, plus most or all of the mercenaries who have been there.

Are the mercenaries employed by the US government?

It would be nice if it is over but I doubt it.If it will end anytime soon.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Are the mercenaries employed by the US government?

sometimes, I'm sure not all are even American corporations

I'd imagine they do more work for the Iraqi gvt... maybe, that might be too politically sensitive...

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
there are going to be 50000 US troops left there

in permenant American military bases

Originally posted by inimalist
in permenant American military bases

So it's less "withdraw from Iraq" and more "try a new position so we can get Iraq pregnant".

Its not far from over, I belive a civil war will happen with out the USA there, if we go back during that who knows?

but to keep things in perspective....I believe we have close to that number of troops still stationed in Germany many decades after WWII

Originally posted by Gadabout
but to keep things in perspective....I believe we have close to that number of troops still stationed in Germany many decades after WWII

Yeah, that's cause your Soldiers want to drink beer and sleep with German women!


Wild Shadow told me.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Yeah, that's cause your Soldiers want to drink beer and sleep with German women!


Wild Shadow told me.

They're all sluts, except for your mother.

Originally posted by Robtard
They're all sluts, except for your mother.

That's sexist language, yo!

Originally posted by Bardock42
That's sexist language, yo!

He's just sore over being rejected by her.

Originally posted by dadudemon
He's just sore over being rejected by her.

Be that as it may, that doesn't make it right to objectify women.

He should apologize!

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
So it's less "withdraw from Iraq" and more "try a new position so we can get Iraq pregnant".

no, its more like:

"We need to see other people, but I'm going to keep my stuff here so it is easier to bone your friends"

I don't see America as the "impregnators", the conractors keep the oil safe and they can bomb Iran without having to worry about domestic politics in Turkey and Kuwait. God, the more I think about it, I think America is pulling out a winner... Iran is totally going to make Iraq its *****, but God, America got a couple of good bonuses.

We've still got around 35k troops in Japan nearly seventy years later. Leaving troops in Iraq is probably a good idea. It gives us another strategic foothold in the region.

Originally posted by Kinneary
We've still got around 35k troops in Japan nearly seventy years later. Leaving troops in Iraq is probably a good idea. It gives us another strategic foothold in the region.

Also small numbers in in Italy, South Korea, Belgium, Bulgaria, Kuwait, Kosovo, Israel, Djibouti, Afganistan, Brazil, Spain, Bahrain, Greece, Greenland, Guam, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, The Netherlands, The UK and Kyrgyzstan.

The United States has troops everywhere.

"Fertile crescent" for a reason.

Originally posted by Joker1237
Its not far from over, I belive a civil war will happen with out the USA there, if we go back during that who knows?

I am not sure but this war may be longer then the Civil War and World war two.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Also small numbers in in Italy, South Korea, Belgium, Bulgaria, Kuwait, Kosovo, Israel, Djibouti, Afganistan, Brazil, Spain, Bahrain, Greece, Greenland, Guam, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, The Netherlands, The UK and Kyrgyzstan.

The United States has troops everywhere.

I vote for United Ferderation of Nations! Come on Big Brother we need your mind controle for world peace!

Originally posted by tru-marvell
I vote for United Ferderation of Nations! Come on Big Brother we need your mind controle for world peace!

Then we can all put on our uniforms and beam up to the Enterprise.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
This

What about it?

It's not a secret that those troops are there. Every new sources everywhere is reporting that fact.

you don't see a difference of between bases in Iraq and those in Germany?

I think many people in America have forgotten what the ''mission'' in Iraq was to begin with. Now its morphed into democracy spreading or something - originally, mission was WMD which there weren't any...

Originally posted by inimalist
you don't see a difference of between bases in Iraq and those in Germany?

You mean that Germany is a developed nation with its own military and doesn't need US troops there to help protect billions of dollars worth of investment in the country's stability?

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
I think many people in America have forgotten what the ''mission'' in Iraq was to begin with. Now its morphed into democracy spreading or something - originally, mission was WMD which there weren't any...

That was the cover story. I believe it was part of pincer maneuver against Iran.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
What about it?

It's not a secret that those troops are there. Every new sources everywhere is reporting that fact. IDk the media seems to make it seem like: Hey look awesome america again saved the day, everything is fine again, now let's go on with or lives. It's still chaos in Iraque (chaos that was caused by the US) and it will be even more when america pulls out it's troops. No offense to anyone but it feels like: Ok guys we got the oil, everybody thinks we give a **** about the people here, our mission is done, let's get the **** out.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
You mean that Germany is a developed nation with its own military and doesn't need US troops there to help protect billions of dollars worth of investment in the country's stability?

no, I mean that Germany doesn't boarder any nations America might bomb, and doesn't host a significant culture of people who start terrorist organizations because of the locations of American military bases

Originally posted by Parmaniac
IDk the media seems to make it seem like: Hey look awesome america again saved the day, everything is fine again, now let's go on with or lives. It's still chaos in Iraque (chaos that was caused by the US) and it will be even more when america pulls out it's troops. No offense to anyone but it feels like: Ok guys we got the oil, everybody thinks we give a **** about the people here, our mission is done, let's get the **** out.

wait...

do you think a more conclusive victory by the Americans could have been won?

like, you think there are military options for America to make Iraq better?

Originally posted by inimalist
wait...

do you think a more conclusive victory by the Americans could have been won?

like, you think there are military options for America to make Iraq better? Difficult question, the whole war was against the law of nations in the first place IMO but they could at least stay there and build up everything again that the destroyed in the war. Iraque was never a "terrorist country" before the war, after the war it absolutely is. And now they pull off the troops not a good image for me personally.

Originally posted by inimalist
no, I mean that Germany doesn't boarder any nations America might bomb, and doesn't host a significant culture of people who start terrorist organizations because of the locations of American military bases

If the US were going to bomb Saudi Arabia they would probably take off from the airforce bases in Saudi Arabia.

I concede the terrorist groups as a serious problem but I think that problem is mitigated by the improved relations with the Iraqi government. A total evacuation of troops would leave them at the mercy of those same groups, who consider them just about as bad as Americans. Power vacuums are terribly destructive things.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
Difficult question, the whole war was against the law of nations in the first place IMO but they could at least stay there and build up everything again that the destroyed in the war. Iraque was never a "terrorist country" before the war, after the war it absolutely is. And now they pull off the troops not a good image for me personally.

don't you think that the mere presense of an occupation force within Iraq is a destabilizing force?

I'm unsure of what it is you want from them, aside from another chance to talk about how bad of an idea the war was in the first place.

for instance, if Obama chose to increase troop levels (you would need 5x the force you have there for a "surge" throughout the entire country) rather than pull out? would you be like "go America, win this war"?

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
If the US were going to bomb Saudi Arabia they would probably take off from the airforce bases in Saudi Arabia.

I meant Syria and Iran.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
I concede the terrorist groups as a serious problem but I think that problem is mitigated by the improved relations with the Iraqi government. A total evacuation of troops would leave them at the mercy of those same groups, who consider them just about as bad as Americans. Power vacuums are terribly destructive things.

yes, but that is like arguing that because they let American troops into the kingdom to defend against saddam's possible attack, the Saudi government was protecting it's people in the best way possible, and that it would have been worse to let bin laden's mujihadeen do it.

neither of these points are really contestable, and the Saudi gvt can hardly be faulted for taking real help from an international ally opposed to radicals with no real loyalty to the state. however, the outcome from that was al Qaeda.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
If the US were going to bomb Saudi Arabia they would probably take off from the airforce bases in Saudi Arabia.



Or Israel....

Deadly Attacks Across Iraq After U.S. Troop Numbers Drop Below 50K

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/deadly-attacks-iraq-us-troop-numbers-drop-50k/story?id=11479466

Unintended consequences.

...and so it begins. I honestly did not believe it would flare up this soon. But we can't police the world so unfortunately this is going to be a very ugly blight on the US for a loonnnnggg time.

with 50000 official troops remaining in permanent bases, and over 200000 private lawless bloodthirst contracters remaining, with a puppet government in place, mass corruption and numerous allegations of coverups and conspiracy to spark violence covertly on the americans, this WAR is far from over.

Depends on your definition of a war.

not to mention, every1 from the iranians to the turks to the syrians and the kuwaitis/russians {not to mention the international oil barons}, want a piece of that black gold booty{no pun intende}. suffice to say, unless the economic/oil interests of the players demand reletively stable societies to mine, the place will remain a battleground and all out hellhole for a while.

QuvN-saBCIg

EMPIRE: America - Between Two Wars, Al Jazeera English

more about the general picture of American engagement in the middle east, but talks about the long term ramifications of US troops in the region, especially Iraq and Afghanistan.

47 min

They're very good (and very quiet).

I'm not sure I agree that this is simply a re-branding of the war. Even if the troops being taken out weren't really doing much at the time they were still there. The US has reduced the number of military personnel in Iraq.

What does interest me is the amount that the troops are still doing there, especially the Air Force base that is still expanding which I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere.

The story about the Marja failure in Afganistan is interesting, a very good look at why fighting the insurgency could well be impossible. I think they were too quick to gloss over progress made in other parts of the country. Urban areas have apparently worked out much better.

We will NEVER leave Iraq until the oil runs out. The war was never about WMDs or even Saddam Hussein. It was all about establishing permanant American military bases in the country with the second largest conventional oil reserves. It was about money, it almost always is.