************************

Al-Maliki or U.S. Forces?

Who Will Leave Iraq First?

By RON JACOBS

Recently, Washington's man in Baghdad Nouri al-Maliki has been making noises about the need to set a "hard" timetable detailing the departure of US occupation forces from Iraq.  One wonders if Mr. al-Maliki is sincere in his demand or if he is posturing for the anti-occupation vote in the upcoming provincial elections in Iraq, much like Barack Obama attracted the antiwar vote in the primaries only to back away from an immediate withdrawal once he received the necessary votes for his party's nomination.  If he is sincere and truly is demanding that Washington remove its forces within a given time, the question arises as to how long al-Maliki will remain at his post.

According to news reports, the recent utterances by the Green Zone Prime Minister are being dismissed by some senior officials in the US.  These officials characterize the demands for a timetable as just another part of the negotiations around the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) the White House and Pentagon are hoping to put in place before the Bush-Cheney regime rides into the sunset.  Of course, the SOFA these folks are hoping for would keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely.  Furthermore, it would provide immunity for US forces and contractors, allow the US to take military action without the approval of the Green Zone government, and allow Washington to launch attacks on other countries from US bases in Iraq without Iraqi permission.  If one is to believe most news reports, it is unlikely that the final SOFA will include all of the items on Washington's wish list, but you never know.

Al-Maliki's foreign minister, Hoshya Zebari, is insistent that the SOFA will be passed before the US elections in November.  His original intent was to get the agreement signed by the end of July 2008, which was also the date hoped for by the White House.  This comes as no surprise to those who know Zebari's history.  He is a member of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) who was part of the US/CIA- organized Iraqi opposition  prior to the US invasion of Iraq and is now one of Washington's fiercest proponents in the US created Green Zone government.  He certainly understands that he holds his position because of the US military presence and that his future depends on Washington getting almost everything it wants in Iraq.  In recent weeks, Mr. Zebari has told the Washington Post that Barack Obama's plan to withdraw almost all US ground forces from Iraq within sixteen months of his inauguration was, in essence, wrong.  Like his backers in DC, Mr. Ze[b]ari insisted to the editors around him that Iraq was making progress.  The Post closed their piece with a sycophantic and questionable appraisal of Zebari's role, writing "it makes sense to consult with those who, like Mr. Zebari, have put their lives on the line for an Iraq that would be a democratic U.S. ally." (Post 6/18/2008 A14) 

Despite the very obvious differences in the two wars, I cannot help but return to the US adventure in Vietnam.  If one recalls the history of that war, they will remember President Diem, who died in a US-sponsored coup in 1963.  Most histories agree that a primary reason for Diem's demise was that he had begun to take an independent course in the war against the national liberation forces in southern Vietnam.  This provoked Washington's anger and precipitated Diem's death.  After he was gone, Washington never again allowed a truly free election in its Vietnamese colony while US forces were in country.  Instead, the Saigon regime featured a series of corrupt military men who ruled through force and US dollars.  Iraq's elections have been arguably a bit more free than any ever held in southern Vietnam during that country's brief existence, but no Green Zone government has existed without the backing of Washington and its occupying military.  If al-Maliki sticks to his demand for a "hard" timetable for US troop withdrawal and holds to that demand even after the aforementioned elections, one wonders how long he will remain prime minister of the Green Zone and those other parts of Iraq he actually rules.  Of course, the other side of this coin is that if he somehow manages to survive whatever skulduggery almost certain to arise if he holds to his demand is that his rule may began to expand beyond those regions.

Would Washington set a timetable if the Green Zone government demanded it?  That is the million dollar question.  The answer does not lie in Baghdad, however, but in the streets of the United States.  No matter who wins the US election in November, there will be no US withdrawal from Iraq or Afghanistan unless the antiwar majority makes its presence known in those streets.  That is where the status of US forces in those countries must ultimately be decided.

Ron Jacobs is author of The Way the Wind Blew: a history of the Weather Underground, which is just republished by Verso. Jacobs' essay on Big Bill Broonzy is featured in CounterPunch's collection on music, art and sex, Serpents in the Garden. His first novel, Short Order Frame Up, is published by Mainstay Press. He can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Counterpunch

21.6. APS – the Bloody Explosions in Popular Market / Baghdad

18.6. Dr. Khaled: Resistance, AMSI and Conference- Part II.

15.6. Dr. Khaled: AMSI is the Forefront of National Forces

11.6. Explosion in Kazimiya Rising Toll to Five Dead and Ten Wounded

6.6. Revealed: Secret Plan to Keep Iraq Under US Control

7.5. US House Voting Iraq by End 2009                 

1.5. 5 Years On, Iraq Mission Unaccomplished

19.4. Sheikh Dhari: the American Occupation is the Cover of the Iranian Interference in Iraq

20.4. The Iraqi Resistance Makes Bush Cry!

13.4. The Rise and Fall of American Empire

15.7. UK Chief fears return of militias to Basra

15.7. Iran has legal interests in Iraq, Brit forces not to stay long – coalition commander

15.7. Digest Overview "Why US Won't Attack Iran"

15.7. The illusion of the Iraqi security agreement with Iran

14.7. Arms race between Iraq gunmen and US Forces

14.7. Sadr's militia may live to fight again

14.7. Obama details plan to end Iraq war by pulling out U.S. troops

14.7. Obama vows to end war in Iraq, to focus on Afghanistan, Pak

14.7. Iraq eyes new offensive; US talks scaled back

13.7. US, Iraq scale back security deal plans -W.Post

13.7. Oil prices hit military budgets hard

13.7. Maliki continues to press for a "withdrawal-schedule" despite the talks having been "scaled back"

13.7. Obama says US troop withdrawal backed by Iraqi govt

13.7. U.S. administration ponders further withdrawals- paper

13.7. Province Leaders Call Iraqis Unready to Handle Security

13.7. Pentagon calls for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq

13.7. U.S. could step up Iraq pullout in September - NYT

13.7. Ahmadinejad claims met coalition commanders in Iraq: reports

12.7. AP: 'Lob bombs' biggest worry for US in Baghdad

12.7. Minister says Iran expects no U.S. or Israeli attack

11.7. Iraq: Followers of radical Shiite cleric demonstrate against US

11.7. FEATURE-Peace dividend in Iraq's Basra faces obstacles

11.7. Bush outfoxed in the Iraqi sands

11.7. Retired Colonel Criticizes Iraq Strategies in Book

11.7. U.S. Troops In Iraq Face Rocket-Propelled Bombs

11.7. US Senate confirms Petraeus for Middle East command

11.7. On the difference between a "time-limit" and "the concept of a time-limit"

11.7. Video: Bin Laden wanted to attack Iraq

11.7. U.S. Troops in Iraq Face A Powerful New Weapon

11.7. Success in Iraq: At What Cost? -- by Veterans for America www.veteransforamerica.org

10.7. HUMOR: US general sees Iraq forces stood up by mid-2009

10.7. Legitimizing the Permanent Occupation of Iraq

10.7. Why the US Won't Attack Iran

10.7. U.S. 5th brigade to be withdrawn this week from Iraq – U.S. army

10.7. US braces for possible surge in insurgent attacks

10.7. U.S. Troops in Iraq Face A Powerful New Weapon

9.7. Al-Jazeera TV Report Discusses Stances on, Changes in Iraqi-US Security Talks

9.7. FACTBOX-Is Iraq serious about a US troop withdrawal timetable?

9.7. US:Oppose arbitrary withdrawal date for Iraq troops

9.7. U.S. aircraft carrier shifted to Afghanistan from Iraq

9.7. Iraq insists on U.S. withdrawal timetable

9.7. Iraq presses US on timeline for troop pullout

9.7. Sistani Rejects US-Iraq Security Deal

9.7. U.S. trade with Iran increases tenfold under Bush administration

8.7. AlHayat source: US not opposed to a memo of understanding setting out a withdrawal schedule

7.7. MNF says joint operations with Iraqi forces to continue in Basra

7.7. Sadr Front calls not to chase its followers

7.7. $10 Billion Pentagon Program Fails To Defeat IED Threat In Iraq

7.7. Pentagon rebuffs Iraqis on withdrawal timetable

7.7. Iraqi – U.S. memorandum of understanding for troops' withdrawal – PM

7.7. Iraq says may agree timetable for U.S. withdrawal

7.7. Gains in Iraq may lead to pullouts

7.7. Joint Chiefs chairman: Security gains holding

7.7. Tehran Tries to Throttle MEK Opposition Through Iraqi Allies

7.7. If There Was Any Doubt about Where the Pentagon Stands on Iran

6.7. HUMOR: Maliki Warns US on Iran; Will not allow Iraqi air space or land in any US Attack

6.7. Report: U.S. fears Israeli strike won't take out Iran nukes

6.7. Document governs Iraq reconciliation course, NYT reveals

6.7. Iraq does not need neighboring countries' approval to sign the security agreement – PM's adviser

5.7. The Simple Arithmetic of a Fraudulent Surge

4.7. Al-Maliki's dilemma between Tehran and Washington

4.7. Iraqi Ulama: "It's Haram To Coperate With The Invaders"

4.7. Sadr City, Kufa hold anti-SOFA protests

4.7. "Turkey, USA cooperate for Iraq border security"

4.7. Reduction of troops inevitable, says former chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff

4.7. Obama denies shift in Iraq position

4.7. Afghanistan: Marines' Tour Extended

4.7. AFGHANISTAN: 30 days to scrounge more troops?

4.7. 43 U.S. soldiers from Pacific among 5-year Iraq War casualties

4.7. General Who Backed Surge Picked For Top Iraq Job

3.7. Desertions Up 92% Since 2004

3.7. HUMOR: US agrees to scrap immunity for security guards in Iraq: FM

3.7. Iraq Hints at Delay in U.S. Security Deal

3.7. We Need More Troops

3.7. Suicide bombers are dying to kill

3.7. Mullen: Can’t have more troops in Afghanistan ‘until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq.’

3.7. Iran-Contra's 'Lost Chapter'

3.7. Iraq-U.S. Troop Presence Agreement Negotiations Could Be Delayed

3.7. Iraqi FM Says Security Pact With US 'Almost Finalized'

3.7. Iraq provincial elections at stake

2.7. Female U.S. Casualties More Common in Iraq War

2.7. U.S. spies on Iraqi army, sources say

2.7. Two years before the invasion of Iraq, oil executives and foreign policy advisers told the Bush administration that the United States would remain “a prisoner of its energy dilemma” as long as Saddam Hussein was in power

2.7. Iraq undercuts Republican support among military

2.7. Immediate Withdrawal Is the Only Honorable Course in Iraq

2.7. Iraqi FM: Iraq, U.S. security deal "almost finalized"

2.7. Iraq: Talks over US security agreement at critical stage

2.7. Last U.S. "surge" brigade begins leaving Iraq

2.7. Bringing Ireland to Baghdad: How the Resistance Will Eventually Kick the Americans Out

2.7. AP: Iranian FM dismisses attack threat

2.7. Military Death Toll Rises in Afghanistan

2.7. Britain to ban Hezbollah's military wing

1.7. Iraq War Photographer Diary: Militias

1.7. RAND Releases Delayed Iraq History

1.7. DoD Announces Force Adjustments

1.7. Last U.S. "surge" brigade begins leaving Iraq

30.6. In Basra, some worry militias just 'hiding behind fake walls'

30.6. US program to sponsor fighters in Iraq against al-Qaida faces uncertain future

30.6. Iraqi tribesmen preparing for life without U.S. aid

30.6. Bush signs $162 billion bill for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

30.6. US forces in Iraq: How long?

29.6. Leaked Arabic version SOFA agreement

29.6. Occupation Plan for Iraq Faulted in Army History

29.6. War and consequences

29.6. VIDEO: Death, Destruction Mean Freedom to America

28.6. Iraq numbers tell grim story

28.6. Iran, Japan, victims of weapons of mass destruction

28.6. Attacks targeting Iraqis working with Americans

28.6. Prisons of war, furnaces of radicalism - The global detention policy of the United States and its allies is incubating the insurgents of the future

28.6. HUMOR: Security agreement with U.S. still "draft" – lawmaker

28.6. Provincial elections likely to be delayed until 2009 – paper

28.6. 30,000 troops reportedly heading to Iraq in 2009

28.6. Military gets no break on fuel costs

28.6. Soaring Gas Prices Also Deals A Sting To US Troops

28.6. Many question marks on Iraq's stability – AL

28.6. Military reinforcements called for in both Anbar and Mosul

28.6. U.S. army replaces troops in Wassit

27.6. Iraqi military unable to hold Mosul

27.6. Iraq, U.S. Struggle to Hit Deadline for Military-Presence Pact

27.6. Senate Passes Broad War Funding Measure

27.6. Report Shows Lawmakers Heavily Invested in War

27.6. Who's Actually Winning in Iraq?

27.6. Scientists find 'law of war' that predicts attacks

27.6. Senate committee approves Petraeus nomination

26.6. Military facing $100B in equipment repairs

26.6. Huge Military Equipment Repair Bill To Eat Into Expansion Of Armed Forces 26.6. Army to Detail Changes to 'Future Combat' Initiative

26.6. Bush is trying to impose a classic colonial status on Iraq

26.6. Quickly, Carefully, and Generously

26.6. US wars have helped al-Qa'eda, says report

26.6. Terrorist groups destabilizing Saudi Arabia

26.6. 'US to loot Iraq through security pact'

25.6. State-Sponsored Terror: British and American Black Ops in Iraq

25.6. The Weapon of Mass Destruction Is Cancer

25.6. All-volunteer Army: An ongoing experiment

25.6. Garrisoning the global gas station

25.6. The Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930

25.6. NBC: U.S. Commanders In Afghanistan ‘Complained To Us’ That They Lack Resources Because Of Iraq

25.6. "US soldiers and diplomats have waded deeply into Iraqi politics"

25.6. Petraeus submits new guidelines in Iraq

25.6. Future progress in Iraq may be ‘slow and uneven’

25.6. Washington mulls sending envoys to Iran

25.6. Sir Jock Stirrup: forces too stretched to cope with Iraq and Afghanistan

25.6. Legalizing Occupation: Bush’s Last Stand

24.6. Re Prosecuting For War Crimes

24.6. Government report criticizes how Bush measures progress in Iraq

24.6. In Iraq, Still No Strategy

24.6. Iraqi military to take control of Anbar province

24.6. 2 U.S. reports stress security improvements, pessimistic about politics, economy

24.6. As US military buildup in Iraq ends, what next?

24.6. GAO Report Faults Post-'Surge' Planning

24.6. Last Surge Brigade Coming Home

23.6. Babil police worried about calls for national resistance

23.6. MPs say Iraq's provincial elections could be delayed

23.6. Human Cost of War: US soldier becomes hibakusha

23.6. IAF spokesman rules out agreement on security pact

23.6. Deal allows U.S. to attack any country from Iraq – IAF

23.6. January 2001, Bush Sought to "find a way" to invade Iraq

22.6. Soldiers Are Fed Up

22.6. Exposed: Military Lied About Murder of U.S. Soldier in Iraq

22.6. Tom Philpott: Disabled soldier facing 'stop loss'

22.6. The U.S. Has Its Own Dr. Strangelove in Iraq

22.6. 10,000 British soldiers unfit for frontline duty: report

22.6. Five Britons kidnapped in Iraq still alive, says top official

22.6. Government newspaper: Agreement could be "non-strategic" so as not to require parliamentary approval

21.6. Casey: Army needs 3 to 4 years to recover from war

21.6. The answer lies in oil

21.6. In Iraq's successes, the seeds of vulnerability

20.6. U.S. House OKs new war funding bill without troop withdrawal timetable

20.6. The U.S. and the missing circle of violence in Iraq

20.6. USA and its allies to leave Iraq and Afghanistan eventually, says Canadian author

20.6. Iraqi Insurgents Attack American Forces With "Exploding Dog"

20.6. U.S. Army Soldier Refuses To Be Deployed to Iraq

20.6. Global War Deaths Have Been Substantially Underestimated, Study Shows

20.6. U.S. House OKs new war funding bill without troop withdrawal timetable

20.6. IRAQ: Bomb disposal in big demand

20.6. Why Iraq won't be South Korea

20.6. Turkey assures US over intelligence sharing with Iran

19.6. Things fall apart

19.6. Exclusive interviews with Iraqi insurgents

19.6. No End To Stop-Loss: Mullen Is Your Man!

19.6. Finally, the U.S. Mega-Bases in Iraq Make the News

19.6. Iraq’s Provincial Elections: Another D-Day Approaching

19.6. Iraqi FM meets Bush on security agreement

19.6.How to Train Death Squads and Quash Revolutions from San Salvador to Iraq

19.6. US Special Forces counter-insurgency manual FM 31-20-3

19.6. Wikileaks Gets Hold of Counterinsurgency Manual

19.6. Iraq forces hunt Shiite fighters in new crackdown

19.6. Wide-scale search campaigns as security operation begins

19.6. Missan security operation launched

19.6. Iraqi forces launch Amara offensive

19.6. Post-occupation Al-Hawza and the non-political murder - 2

19.6. Bipartisan accord reached on war funding bill

19.6. Afghanistan replacing Iraq as focus of terror war

19.6. Asymmetric politics

18.6. FM, U.S. vice president agree on completing security pact before end of July

18.6. Legalizing Occupation: Bush’s Last Manoeuvre in Iraq

18.6. Iraqi-U.S. forces aim to win by not doing battle

18.6. Bush-McCain Energy Plan: Wrong on National Security; Wrong on Economic Security Says Democratic National Committee

18.6. Equipment shortages to blame for up to 60 service deaths, says Forsyth

17.6. U.S. president to pullout 30,000 troops from Iraq next July

17.6. Bush's decision to withdraw 30,000 soldiers is for electoral reasons – Sadrist lawmaker

17.6. 9/11 Chronicle Continues... US Military Officers Challenge “official Bush version”

17.6. Democrats to back down on Iraq war conditions

16.6. Iraq says it still needs US troops to secure gains

16.6. Downing Street denies rift with Bush over withdrawal of troops from Iraq

15.6. Bush: no timetable for Iraq withdrawals

15.6. Iraq, the sovereign colony?

15.6. FACTBOX-Iraq's recent security operations

15.6. Bush tells Brown not to withdraw from Iraq

15.6. The security plan with Iraq – why American industrial military complex wants a permanent base there?

15.6. Dozens of names left off official list of British soldiers killed in Iraq

15.6. Bush: Stopping Iran key to solving Mideast problems

14.6. Too Early to Predict Further U.S. Troop Cuts in Iraq, Adm. Mullen Says

14.6. US forces begin to shift posture in Iraq -analysts

13.6. US troops shift to peacekeeping role in Iraq

13.6. Iraq says talks with US on pact reach "dead end"

13.6. Will Iraq Bill Be Signed by July 4th?

13.6. Vietnam: The Soldier's Revolt

12.6. U.S. Enlists And Arms Patrols in Sadr City

12.6. Top military officer: 'stop loss' won't end soon

12.6. Sick US Troops to Iraq, Afghanistan

12.6. Patrick Cockburn: The reality is that Iraqi authority would be nominal

12.6. 'Bush may not finish US-Iraq deal'

12.6. In Debate Over Permanent Bases In Iraq, U.S. Seeks Authorization For War In Iran

11.6. Fabricated quietness and reflected catastrophe

11.6. U.S. institute to hold event on national reconciliation in Iraq

11.6. Mullen: Conditions-Based Withdrawal Strategy Seeing Success in Iraq

11.6. Bush Threatens the Lives of Our GIs, While Continuing to Fund Blackwater and Other Mercenary Corporations

10.6. Israel launches 'Iran Command' for war  

10.6. HUMOR: Pentagon Claims US Will Not Launch Attacks from Permanent Iraq Military Bases

10.6. Some Call It 'Counterinsurgency' - It sounds better than 'brutal military occupation'

10.6. U.S. seeking 58 bases in Iraq, Shiite lawmakers say

10.6. Security and long-presence agreement to connect the “Silk Road”

10.6. Bush administration says it may not get Iraq deal this year

8.6. Iraqis condemn US defence pact plan

8.6. Iraq's Grand Ayatollah warns from uprising against US security pact

8.6. Editorial: Colonization Plans

8.6. US/IRAN: Fearing Escalation, Pentagon Fought Cheney Plan

8.6. US Air Force purge: Growing tensions within a militarized state

7.6. Mahdi Army Using 'Flying IEDs' in Baghdad

7.6. Cheney Enrages Iraqis Over Security Deal

6.6. BUSH HAS ILLEGAL IRAQ SCHEME

6.6. Iraqis suffering as we are, hundreds of times over

6.6. Arming our own enemies in Iraq

6.6. Disguising the occupation with a convention

6.6. Iraq Vets KNOW 9/11 Was an Inside Job

6.6. U.S. Brig. Gen. Confirms The Right Lesson In Iraq Is Don’t Fight: Let The Insurgents Get Away

6.6. Six thousand Al Qaida fighters killed in Iraq says top official

6.6. U.S. troops are increasingly medicated

6.6. Austin: Surge draw down not hurting effort

5.6. Iraqi Parliamentarian: 70 Percent Of Iraqis Want Withdrawal, Huge U.S. Embassy Not A ‘Positive Signal’

5.6. Revealed: Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control

5.6. Report: Secret deal to keep Iraq under U.S. control

5.6. Bush's "New Middle East" Revealed

5.6. No More MRAPs Wanted

4.6. What It Really Means When America Goes to War

3.6. Rogue combat robots sidelined in Iraq

3.6. General Ricardo Sanchez's Book Slams Bush, Iraq Handling

2.6. Rudd: Australia's arguments for Iraq war all wrong

2.6. Iraq sends teams to study other U.S. military pacts

2.6. U.S.-Iraqi agreement, officials' performance in press

2.6. Fallon: I was pressured for months

1.6. William E. Odom, 75; Military Adviser to 2 Administrations

1.6. Iraq deaths down, but for how long?

1.6. U.S. bases in Iraq?

1.6. Iraqi Opposition to U.S. Pact Grows

1.6. No intention to establish permanent bases in Iraq- NATO deputy commander

29.5. US to withdraw 4,000 troops from Iraq

28.5. "The Military Has Fired More Than 200 Hellfire Missiles In The Capital, Compared With Just Six In The Previous Three Months"

28.5. Barzani’s connection to Al-Qaeda in Mosul

28.5. Clarke: US troops in Iraq helps Al Qaeda

28.5. US 'close' to Iraq military deal

28.5. Diplomats eyed for possible forced service in Iraq

26.5. How Birthrate Is Turning Modern Conventional Warfare on Its Head

26.5. US uses bullets ill-suited for new ways of war

25.5. US mil: al-Qaida 'off-balance' but still lethal threat in Iraq

25.5. Al Qaeda in Iraq "never closer to defeat"-US envoy

24.5. Iraq commander expects further troop cuts

24.5. The True Story of the Iraqi Civil War

23.5. In Iraq, a Surge in U.S. Airstrikes

23.5. Petraeus 'to urge Iraq troop cuts'

23.5. Petraeus expects troop cutbacks in September

23.5. Odierno Rejects McCain’s ‘100 Years’: No ‘Need’ For Permanent Military Presence In Iraq

23.5. U.S. Senate approves $165 billion in new war money

23.5. POLITICS-US: Senate Passes No-Strings War Funding Bill

22.5. Iraq figures distort terrorism statistics - study

22.5. Terrorism Fatalities Up, Not Down; Analysis Disputes New Report

22.5. New US commanders for Mideast, Iraq

21.5. New Troops in Iraq Will Keep Number at 140,000

20.5. Costs of War: US Army's breaking point

20.5. If IRAQ is going so swell, why 40,000 troops before Nov '08 election?

20.5. U.S. announces deployment of seven combat brigades to Iraq

20.5. Defense Department announces future deployment of 42,000 US Army troops to Iraq, Afghanistan

19.5. Israeli and US death squads infesting the world

19.5. Editorial: ‘Illegal War’

18.5. West will have to talk to belligerent forces, predicts academic

18.5. ‘War on terror not [only] against Islam, waged for US global dominance’

18.5. The 'Long War' fallacy

18.5. PM: Provincial elections to be held in different times to guarantee fairness

18.5. Pelosi endorses fall elections planned in Iraq

18.5. Pelosi ends Iraq visit after talks on vote, security: officials

18.5. House speaker meets Pelosi, expresses concern over U.S. forces pullout

17.5. WARGATE: Rumsfeld Calls for "Another Attack" of Terror to Bolster Support for Bush

17.5. Joint Chiefs chair holds town hall meeting at Grafenwöhr

16.5. APNewsBreak: 82nd brigade to return from Iraq 3 months early

16.5. HUMOR: US House blocks Iraq war money, sets pullout plan

15.5. The occupier's treatment will drive them to hell

15.5. “Yes, The Chain Of Command Deserves To Burn In Hell”

15.5. The Bush junta attempting to hide failure and graft in Iraq "reconstruction"

15.5. Bush Middle East trip highlights crisis of US policy

14.5. US must focus on Iraq, less on future wars-Gates

13.5. The Pentagon's Toxic Legacy

13.5. Explosive devices threaten U.S. soldiers daily

12.5. US Immigration services bureau loses thousands of records/111,000 IMMIGRATION FILES LOST

12.5. U.S. Military: Combat-unready

11.5. The realpolitiks of Dual-Occupations

11.5. The roots of Iraqi resistance

11.5. Letters: America can't afford 100 more years in Iraq

10.5. Military adds armor to Iraq vehicles as roadside bombs surge

10.5. US war robots in Iraq 'turned guns' on fleshy comrades

10.5. Commando leaders shift away from Rumsfeld strategy

9.5. Rumsfeld blames the generals for poor pre-war planning

9.5. Pentagon eyes withdrawing Marines from Iraq -- to Afghanistan

9.5. Pentagon Is Open to Moving More Marines to Afghanistan

9.5. Another $1,000,000 blown up... Oh! You meant EFP and not IED? Back to the drawing board

8.5. Iraq Plans $1 Billion Zone Of Influence Near New U.S. Embassy In Baghdad

7.5. Troop withdrawal added to war funding bill

7.5. HUMOR: US House Democrats favor timetable for Iraq troops

7.5. Iraqis See Red As US Opens World's Biggest Embassy

6.5. US to withdraw 3,500 soldiers from Iraq

6.5. U.S. withdrawing third "surge" brigade from Iraq

6.5. 2 soldiers' deaths in Iraq raise doubts about MRAP vehicle

6.5. Gen. Sanchez: Iraq policy driven by Bush re-election politics

6.5. WASHINGTON: Afghanistan, Iraq wars deplete elite forces, top leader says

6.5. America's Occupation Trumps the "Surge" and Petraeus' Counterinsurgency Manual

6.5. International Crisis Group: "There Is Reason to Fear This Is Only a Temporary Salve"

5.5. Sanchez Blasts Post-War Actions

5.5. Top U.S. officer says would prefer no war on Iran

5.5. Iraq withdrawal would result in Afghan chaos: Cheney

5.5. Is the Middle East state system about to disintegrate?

4.5. US/IRAQ: "Divide and Rule" Strategy Called Short-sighted

3.5. 'US military achievement in Iraq has reached peak'

3.5. US may send another 7,000 troops to Afghanistan

3.5. Admiral: War zones need more than military

2.5. Gates Says Question in Iraq is 'What's the Endgame?'

1.5. Permanent wars for oil and permanent terrorism

1.5. Pentagon mulls expansion of U.S. command role in Afghanistan

30.4. Surging to Defeat: Petraeus’s strategy only postponed the inevitable

30.4. Gates: Lull in Iraq violence over, withdrawal to go on

30.4. Consequences in Iraq

30.4. The Necessary Three-Front War

29.4. An Urgent Memo to the SecDef

29.4. A big rerun of Vietnam

29.4. Obama vows to back Bush’s war commander

29.4. Selling the President's General

28.4. Rice's visit is failed support for a demolished project

26.4. U.S. role extends the violence in Iraq

26.4. Things Unsaid at the Petraeus Hearings

25.4. What a way to fight a war

25.4. Petraeus promotion keeps US on its war course

24.4. The Agenda Behind the Hoax: What the Iraq War is About

24.4. No. 2 U.S. commander terms security in Iraq as “fragile”

24.4. A Counterproductive 'War on Terror'

24.4. Promoted Petraeus to leave Iraq

24.4. POLITICS-US: Petraeus Promotion Frees Cheney to Threaten Iran

24.4. Petraeus set for head of US central Command

24.4. ANALYSIS-US military's odd couple rises up the ranks

24.4. Petraeus chosen as new Centcom commander

23.4. John Murtha is Sorry

22.4. Rice, US generals signal stepped-up bloodletting in Iraq

20.4. Defeated in Iraq: How America Lost the War

20.4. Troop surge a failure, Iraq war veteran says

19.4. US hope turning over Iraq security in a year

19.4. Former Rumsfeld/Wolfwowitz Deputy: Iraq War Is A ‘Major Debacle,’ ‘Classic Case Of Failure’

17.4. Documents reveal al-Qaeda plot to divide Iraq – U.S. commander

16.4. Retired general Zinni: U.S. 'doesn't get' changing world

15.4. US, Iraq far apart on security pacts

14.4. Iraq War: Surge is out of time

14.4. Israeli FM in Qatar for Talks

14.4. U.S. Is Out of the Fight in Half of Iraq, Gates Says

14.4. Occupation in fragments

14.4. US keeps changing rationale for Iraq war

13.4. Occupying Iraq not like a base in Japan

13.4. The Iraq wars: Confused by the war in Iraq? No wonder. There isn't just one, there are three

13.4. Powell: Next President Must Reduce Forces In Iraq

12.4. William E. Odom: Iraq Testimony from a Different General

12.4. Gates and Petraeus differ over troop levels in Iraq

12.4. Trapped between Egypt and Iraq

11.4. Colin Powell says 2 wars too much

11.4. US/IRAQ: Calm on the Surface, Simmering Beneath

11.4. Gates no longer ‘hopes’ to get down to 100,000 troops in Iraq by 2009

11.4. Catch 2,200: 9 Propositions on the U.S. Air War for Terror

11.4. Top U.S. officials differ over Iraq policy

11.4. EXCLUSIVE: Bush Says Petraeus' Timeline for Troop Drawdown Not Open-Ended

10.4. Iran calls U.S. commander's Iraq report justification of "false strategies and failure"

10.4. Powell: Troops are ‘very, very stretched’; Bush wants to ‘maintain a very significant presence’ in Iraq

10.4. Reduced Deployments Will Not Repair Military

10.4. Our 'Anaconda Strategy' is slowly choking al-Qaida

9.4. US eyeing areas in Iraq for more cuts, top commander says

9.4. Editorial: Iran's 160,000 U.S. hostages

9.4. Petraeus Plan Has 140,000 Troops in Iraq by Election (Update1)

9.4. Petraeus: 'We haven't turned any corners. We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel'

9.4. Former diplomat Sir Jeremy Greenstock slams Iraq 'waste'

9.4. Snakes on a Plane: The Iraq Counter-Insurgency Plan

9.4. Petraeus: New Troop Build-up Unlikely

9.4. Skelton: Falling readiness puts U.S. at risk (ArmyTimes = NavyTimes)

9.4. Dems Miss Opportunity to Challenge Surge

9.4. What Al-Qaeda Learned from Petraeus

8.4. The sixth year of invasion

8.4. Secret US plan for military future in Iraq

8.4. No "Permanent" Bases -- Just "Enduring" Bases

8.4. U.S. ambassador says commitment to Iraq shouldn’t be limited

8.4. US planning open-ended Iraq military commitment

8.4. Don't Betray Us, General: Admit That Iraq Keeps Getting Worse, And That the Surge Failed

8.4. Secret plans for US troops to stay in Iraq

8.4. Democrat: Report on Iraq 'too rosy'

8.4. Anti-war protests disrupt Petraeus hearings

8.4. Hamas-Iraq: Al-Qaeda in Iraq is Subservient to Iran; 'The U.S. is Our Main Enemy, But a More Dangerous Enemy is Iran'

8.4. Terrorism Presents a Serious Threat--But the "War on Terror" is the Real Catastrophe

8.4. Testimony of General David H. Petraeus

7.4. US/IRAQ: Petraeus Testimony to Defend False "Proxy War" Line

7.4. The politics of bullets

7.4. Report: US no closer to Iraq goals

7.4. Admiral: Iraq has troops, Afghanistan waits

6.4. The US occupier and Iran have destroyed the state of Iraq

6.4. Allawi: Matters getting out of authority's hands 5 years after change

5.4. Start another war? With what?

5.4. US to Send More Combat Troops to Afghanistan Next Year

5.4. Middle East Expert Doubts Change in US Middle East Policy

5.4. Spike in violence raises questions on eve of critical Iraq report

5.4. AP: Govt. plans to cut Army war tours

5.4. The War's Expiration Date

5.4. Democrats Call for New Iraq Strategy

5.4. One Year Combat Duty, One Year Rest Being Considered For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan,

3.4. US troop cut in Iraq to continue despite violence

3.4. U.S. Ground Forces Wearing Out

3.4. U.S. must leave Iraq, retired generals say

3.4. Basra battle shows Iraqi Army not ready yet - US general

3.4. General William Odom Tells Senate Rapid Withdrawal Is Only Solution

2.4. Paltry results of Iraqi offensive silence U.S. withdrawal talk

2.4. Attacks on U.S. Forces Soared at End of March

2.4. Heavy Troop Deployments Are Called Major Risk

1.4. Pelosi Preparing to Refuse Further Iraq Funding

1.4. How to fix the U.S. military

30.3. U.S. Has Little Influence, Few Options in Iraq's Volatile South

30.3. Iraq’s never-ending war

28.3. Military Matters: Iraq's new storm

28.3. Army general will lead Central Command, for now

28.3. War and democracy

28.3. Retired general: ‘On the fly’ response strategy must change

27.3. Military tells Bush of troop strains

27.3. Ex-US Army general urges Britain to offer southern Iraq troop surge

27.3. Mopping Up Begins in Earnest in Iraq

27.3. 'The Battle of Algiers' and Iraq

27.3. Military action to influence oil-producing nations proven ineffective

26.3. America Defeated: How Terrorists Turned a Superpower's Strengths Against Itself

26.3. The secret American-Iranian security deal in Iraq, and how this connected to McCain’s visit to Israel

26.3. Research and Markets: Improvised Explosive Devices and Technological Advances in Russian and Chinese Missiles Drive U.S. Electronic Warfare Spending

26.3. Senator predicts drawdown in Iraq

26.3. Armed Forces 'at crisis point in resources'

26.3. William S. Lind: les USA face à un désastre militaire en Irak (VO)

26.3. Us denial in Iraq: withdrawal symptoms

26.3. Iraqi Resistance Rumbles Security

25.3. Bush Given Iraq War Plan With a Steady Troop Level

25.3. Iraq: US Exit May Not Lead to an Orgy of Violence

25.3. Report: Insurgents benefit from drone shortage

24.3. 'Frontline' looks back on 'Bush's War' in Iraq

24.3. Civilian casualties up in Iraq but trends mixed: US military official

24.3. Is the "Surge" on the Verge of Collapse?

23.3. A new Tower of Babel? Iraqis flee sectarian violence

23.3. US defence chief meets commanders over Iraq strategy

23.3. The telepathic communication between Bin Laden and Bush, the missing piece of the

22.3. Resisting the invasion

22.3. Destabilisation is the name of the ‘game’

22.3. “The U.S. lost in Iraq!”

22.3. Pentagon rules out Fallon testimony

22.3. Two words explain occupation: strategic power

21.3. Gates Considers US Force Levels for Iraq

21.3. About the "Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq"

20.3. Downer holds US responsible for insurgency in Iraq

20.3. U.S. not ready for prolonged insurgency

20.3. War on Terrorism Requires More Than Military Force, Expert Says

20.3. U.S. Military takes lessons from Iraq 'insurgent' war

20.3. Navy Specialists Lead IED Fight

18.3. Attacks in Iraq have remained constant despite troop surge

18.3. McCain upbeat about war on visit to Iraq

18.3. A RESPONSIBLE PLAN TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ

17.3. US military of cover-ups

17.3. Bush Diplomacy: Predator Planes Are Conducting Assassinations by Air

16.3. US/IRAQ: Rules of Engagement "Thrown Out the Window"

16.3. US/IRAQ: "We Reacted Out of Fear, and With Total Destruction"

16.3. US commanders believe al-Qaida will survive in Iraq despite US pummeling

16.3. ‘Every Minute of Iraq Is War’

16.3. US military growing weary in Iraq

14.3. RAND: U.S. Failed to Monitor and Adapt to Insurgent Trends in Iraq

14.3. Petraeus says progress in Iraq not enough

12.3. Monday: 8 US Soldiers, 30 Iraqis Killed; 77 Iraqis Wounded

12.3. Played Like a Fiddle? For Iraqi Insurgents, 'Surge' Appears to be Working

12.3. 90% of foreign fighters in Iraq cross from Syria

12.3. US admiral William Fallon quits over row on Iran war

12.3. Top US Mideast commander quits after Iran article

10.3. Exhaustive review finds no link between Saddam, al Qaida

10.3. US Commander Says al-Qaida Could Try Large Attacks in Iraq