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This interesting panel was held on Friday. The title was The Future of the U.S. Military Presence in Iraq and as it happens we can have a report on what has been said.
Marc Lynch was there and he posted his impressions on his blog.
It seems that Kagan said that American forces withdrawals would starts soon but not before the national elections in Iraq sure that’s another year but that’s soon for some people.
Kahl’s claimed it is important to use the withdrawal’s schedule as tactical tool to pressure Iraqi’s so it is important not to commit to it in advance.
The third point reveals even more the current way of thinking:
Kim Kagan shocked me with a comment made forcefully, twice, once towards the end of her prepared remarks and again at the opening of her closing remarks: the future of Iraq depends primarily on American decisions, not Iraqi decisions. I found this extraordinarily revealing: for her it really is all about us.
Do we really believe to be the ones to decide how Iraq would change? All we can do is hurt them when we want them to act in a certain way. If we decide they need a democracy and they choose another though regime can we punish them saying that in democracy they should think as we do.
Can we or better even should we be so arrogant as to think we can impose our culture on another people when it is not ready or willing to embrace it. I have to say that I’m constantly surprised by the extent of the righteousness with which we think and act on foreign issues.
