Worse Than You Thought

Peter W. Galbraith has a piece in The New York Times that makes it clear the situation in Iraq is even worse than you thought. Galbraith--a former ambassador to Croatia--suggests that we should slowly pull our forces back to bases in Kurdistan--the only part of Iraq that is staunchly pro-American, and also the only region that is more or less peaceful and free of sectarian violence. The basis for this reasoning is that we can do nothing material to keep the warring forces in the rest of the country from each others' throats, nor can we impose the kind of national unity (breaking the grip of Shi'ite militias in the south, for instance) that was a keystone of American policy. Galbraith suggests that basing our forces in Kurdistan would have a number of advantages, including placing them close enough to the rest of the Iraq so that they could move in should Sunnite-based allies of al-Qaeda assume an upper hand in part of the country, and helping to defuse tensions that are rising between the Kurds and our ally, Turkey. The troops would also offer a counterweight to Iran.

It's an interesting idea. For one thing, it would keep Americans in the politically-sensitive area, relieving us--at least in part--from the stain of bugging out when the going got tough (see "Whose War Is It, Anyway?"). I realize that many people think that we should simply bring all the troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, but given Iranian militancy and the general instability of the region, a continued, perhaps prolonged, presence may be necessary.

On the other hand, there are distinct problems with Galbraith's proposal, one of which would be the relative isolation of Kurdistan. It was one thing to supply a few special forces troops there, another to provide food, fuel, munitions and all the other necessities for what would have to be at least several divisions through the use of aircraft or trucks proceeding through a southern and central Iraq without even the security that American forces now provide.

Still, it's an idea for a way out, and we certainly need both--ideas and a way out.