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Debating Iraq Troop Withdrawal
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Troop withdrawal is a key topic in this year's election. Political leaders, presidential candidates and the American public weigh in on the issue.
30-Second Summary
Depending on who is talking, the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq spells either disaster for the war-torn country or the long-overdue end of an unpopular and costly war.
Conservative James Phillips and liberal Tel Galen Carpenter present their sides of the Iraq issue in a written debate published on the Council on Foreign Relations Web site.
The cost of removing U.S. troops would be great both to the Iraqi people and America’s security from terrorist threats, argues Phillips.
But Carpenter counters that war advocates must consider that “stubbornly staying in Iraq and continuing to be bled, both financially and literally, plays into the hands of Islamic radicals.”
The presidential candidates are arguing the same issues. Dennis Ross writes in The New Republic that none of their arguments provide a realistic solution to the problem. John McCain must explain why “staying the present course” will undoubtedly yield victory, and the Democratic candidates must present more than an inflexible withdrawal plan, Ross writes.
However, with the general election approaching, the candidates will undoubtedly find themselves catering to voter opinion.
A Gallup poll conducted last summer found that 58 percent of Americans say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who “only supports legislation on the war that includes a timetable for removing U.S. troops from Iraq.”
But political commentator and author Christopher Hitchens warns of upheaval in Iraq should the U.S. military withdraw. He argues in a television interview that the nation would violently splinter if America leaves too early.
Conservative James Phillips and liberal Tel Galen Carpenter present their sides of the Iraq issue in a written debate published on the Council on Foreign Relations Web site.
The cost of removing U.S. troops would be great both to the Iraqi people and America’s security from terrorist threats, argues Phillips.
But Carpenter counters that war advocates must consider that “stubbornly staying in Iraq and continuing to be bled, both financially and literally, plays into the hands of Islamic radicals.”
The presidential candidates are arguing the same issues. Dennis Ross writes in The New Republic that none of their arguments provide a realistic solution to the problem. John McCain must explain why “staying the present course” will undoubtedly yield victory, and the Democratic candidates must present more than an inflexible withdrawal plan, Ross writes.
However, with the general election approaching, the candidates will undoubtedly find themselves catering to voter opinion.
A Gallup poll conducted last summer found that 58 percent of Americans say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who “only supports legislation on the war that includes a timetable for removing U.S. troops from Iraq.”
But political commentator and author Christopher Hitchens warns of upheaval in Iraq should the U.S. military withdraw. He argues in a television interview that the nation would violently splinter if America leaves too early.
Headline Links: The politics of withdrawal
The Council on Foreign Relation hosts a written debate between James Phillips of the conservative Heritage Foundation and Ted Galen Carpenter of the libertarian Cato Institute. Phillips says abandoning Iraq “would make a bad situation much worse,” but Carpenter counters that prospects for a stable government in Iraq are not good no matter what.
Source: Council on Foreign Relations
Iraq war supporter Christopher Hitchens, an author and columnist, talks about the specific consequences of a rapid withdrawal from Iraq in a television interview. “There would be republics within Iraq the size of a couple of city blocks with their own warlord. You have to realize how atomizing and how demoralizing, how debauching, how traumatizing the 35 years of Saddam’s fascism were,” Hitchens says.
Source: FORA.tv
The U.S. Senate debated another Iraq withdrawal bill this week. But even supporters admit the bill, which calls for withdrawal in four months, will fail. “Some Democrats, speaking anonymously, said there could be fewer than 30 votes for the measure in the 100-member Senate,” Reuters reports. The White House has consistently denied timetable withdrawal plans.
Source: Reuters
Background: ‘Bush Upbeat on Iraq’
Al-Jazeera covered President Bush’s January visit to Kuwait, during which he told troops that the military was “on track” for a plan to withdraw 300,000 troops from Iraq by July. "Iraq is now a different place from one year ago," he told troops.
Source: Al-Jazeera
Opinions & Analysis: Candidates’ Iraq plans lack specifics
The presidential front runners could do a better job outlining a strategy for Iraq, writes Dennis Ross of The New Republic. John McCain needs to define what “victory” means if he wants to stay the course. And the Democrats' insistence on a rigid timeline, which Ross is argues is for the sake of political gain, could prove detrimental to the unstable country.
Source: The New Republic
The New York Times comments on the fact that the war in Iraq has receded from the forefront of campaign trail debates, “much to the relief of the Republican candidates, who never stray far from the party line but know that Americans overwhelmingly want the troops home.” The editorial goes on to say that “the candidates must talk more to the American people about when troops will be withdrawn and how it will be done.”
Source: New York Times (subscription may be required)
Related Topics: Public opinion, Obama vs. McCain and Turkey in Iraq
A Gallup poll found that Americans are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports a timetable of withdrawal from Iraq, and less likely to vote for one who wants to cut off funding for the war.
Source: Gallup
McCain vs. Obama
In what could be a preview of the fall presidential election, John McCain and Barack Obama traded jabs this week over who has the better plan for Iraq.
Source: Los Angeles Times (free subscription may be required)
Reference: Guides to the candidates
NPR features a guide to the presidential candidates and their stances on a variety of issues, including Iraq. The Web site also features links to radio stories on the Iraq issue.
Source: NPR
The 2008 presidential candidates and their stances on various issues, including Iraq, are covered in the findingDulcinea Web guide “Election 2008: Meet the Presidential Candidates Online.”
Source: findingDulcinea
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