No debates here, just yes or no answers.
Should the US bring its troops home from Iraq?
If you are British, tell us if you think the UK should bring its troops home.
Yes, bring them home.
No
Actually, I’ll expand. Obviously we have to bring them home sometime. I think we should pick a date, lets say 6/1/06, and then stick to it. But I think talk about bringing them home in the next 6 months or whatever is crazy talk.
Picking a date has had poor results in recent history. I would establish a certain level of self-reliance and autonomy (and self-defense) for whatever Iraqi government comes out of the planned January elections, and withdraw after that. I may well be June 06, (I hope it would be sooner than that) but is is not fair to the Iraqi’s, the American public, or the military to establish a date irrespective of the situation at the time.
No.
Not British but I have Irish and Australian citizenships so I can vote in their elections when I’m resident there. Same answer though for the UK. No.
As an Australian, I think our troops should come home.
Hell yes. We need to let Iraq sort itself out and split into several pieces - and we need to recognise those pieces.
Yeah- I suppose the date idea has many problems. Whatever the circumstances are when we finally leave, I think that those circumstances should be as predetermined as possible. Under no circumstances do I think we should just say- ok were done, we’ll be out in 6 weeks (or whatever time frame logistics would dictate).
Good thing I live in a representative democracy and not where mob, er, majority rules.
Not right away. Even though I believe the Iraq war is a big mistake, it would be crazy to pack up now. If a miracle happens and there’s peace enough for elections in January, and if the winner isn’t immediately killed by a car bomb, and if the newly empowered government says the don’t need our American asses around anymore, then we can come home. I don’t think it will happen that soon.
In Afghanistan, though, we lost. We’re toast over there, and we should either get serious or get out.
We need to set specific, realistic goals – including, obviously, the transition to self-government and self-security in some measure – and fulfill those goals before we leave either Iraq or Afghanistan. Cutting and running is the last thing we ought to be thinking about, we started the mess, we must clean it up.
So yes, bring our troops home eventually, obviously. Just not right now.
No. As much as I am opposed to our involvement in their affairs, we’ve made them dependent on us for the short-term and to pull out now would be catastrophic and could quite possibly lead to another autocratic despot in power. We need to help them stabilize and to to rebuild the infrastructure and *then *pull out,.
No idea when that will be.
What part of “yes or no answers, no debates” is giving you all such problems? A little respect for the OP please?
Yes, bring them home.
Yes. Right now.
Some of us like to give justifications or explain the rationale behind our responses… a pat yes or no is too simplistic and trite.
That was in reply to Otto, not ITR Champion, obviously.
Yes.
No
Maybe.
No.
No.