BAGHDAD — Iraq celebrated the withdrawal of American troops from its cities with parades, fireworks and a national holiday on Tuesday as the prime minister trumpeted the country’s sovereignty from American occupation to a wary public. Full Story »
Posted by Judy Plapinger
This is what the NY Times does best--presents a lot of information in a concise, well-written piece.
A somewhat cynical presentation of the event that seems to be happening off-stage in the U.S. However, the cynicism seems deserved considering there are still 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, and the pronouncements of Prime Minister al-Maliki are so propagandist.
For a rather short overview of the situation in Iraq, it is what one can expect in a major newspaper like the NYT. The picture which dominates the article is revealing. I think the article quite accurately defines the two sides which have emerged in Iraq, and it states concerns that there might not be that much to celebrate at this point.
I expect violence in Iraq to continue, and I am not sure its democracy will survive for very long once the U.S. stop to interfere. I fear the rights and the autonomy of the Kurds are both still in danger, and there could grow more violence against Kurd and Shiite neighbourhoods. I think the Iraq war was a big mistake of the Bush administration, and it is not much president Obama can do now to improve the current situation.
So-so story that would be better if it mentioned the scores of thousands of mercenaries that are also still in Iraq, and the insane cost of the continuing US military presence.
Obama should pull all US forces out of Iraq within the next 12 months. All, not most. All, including 100,000 or so private contractors.
Retrieving Comments
