Guardian UK: The US isn't leaving Iraq, it's rebranding the occupation

[marmar]

The US isn't leaving Iraq, it's rebranding the occupation
Obama says withdrawal is on schedule, but renaming or outsourcing combat troops won't give Iraqis back their country

Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 4 August 2010 21.30 BST


For most people in Britain and the US, Iraq is already history. Afghanistan has long since taken the lion's share of media attention, as the death toll of Nato troops rises inexorably. Controversy about Iraq is now almost entirely focused on the original decision to invade: what's happening there in 2010 barely registers.

That will have been reinforced by Barack Obama's declaration this week that US combat troops are to be withdrawn from Iraq at the end of the month "as promised and on schedule". For much of the British and American press, this was the real thing: headlines hailed the "end" of the war and reported "US troops to leave Iraq".

Nothing could be further from the truth. The US isn't withdrawing from Iraq at all – it's rebranding the occupation. Just as George Bush's war on terror was retitled "overseas contingency operations" when Obama became president, US "combat operations" will be rebadged from next month as "stability operations".

But as Major General Stephen Lanza, the US military spokesman in Iraq, told the New York Times: "In practical terms, nothing will change". After this month's withdrawal, there will still be 50,000 US troops in 94 military bases, "advising" and training the Iraqi army, "providing security" and carrying out "counter-terrorism" missions. In US military speak, that covers pretty well everything they might want to do.

Granted, 50,000 is a major reduction on the numbers in Iraq a year ago. But what Obama once called "the dumb war" goes remorselessly on. In fact, violence has been increasing as the Iraqi political factions remain deadlocked for the fifth month in a row in the Green Zone. More civilians are being killed in Iraq than Afghanistan: 535 last month alone, according to the Iraqi government – the worst figure for two years. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/aug/04/us-iraq-rebranding-occupation

[Skittles]

1. it sure is a nice "promise-fullfilled" bone toss though

[izquierdista]

2. bone?

Cheap rubber chew toy that lasts half an afternoon is more like it.

[Citizen Worker]

3. I can see the difference in democrat and republican foreigh policy from here

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. Yet, some will still claim --

we are actuslly leaving Iraq. :( There is only one word for them: suckers.

[flyarm]

5. the worst figure for two years. ............K&R

More civilians are being killed in Iraq than Afghanistan: 535 last month alone, according to the Iraqi government – the worst figure for two years. ............

This country of ours is morally bankrupt..

Think the economy is bad??

It pales to the bankruptsy of our morals and lack there of.

and our political leaders..they are all criminals!