what do you propose we do in Iraq?

[Anonymous]

ok-so all of you who want to just pull the troops out......what do you propose we do if there is all out civil war?

[jsteele]

There may well be an all out civil war even if we don't withdraw. The current relative calm rests on the Anbar Awakening involving Sunni militias and the cease fire by the Jaish al-Mahdi which is a Shia militia. On October 1, Prime Minister al-Maliki will be taking charge of the Awakening forces. He is highly suspicious of them and if he disbands them or tries to arrest their leaders, they may go into revolt. Similarly, the JAM is hoping to win an election this fall. If the election is not held or Muqtada al-Sadr feels he's been cheated, they may revolt. US leaders are likely trying desperately to keep the top on all of this until Nov. 4. Its extremely likely we will be dealing with civil war long before our troops have withdrawn. If so, I expect just about everyone will agree that it's time to leave.