Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism 224 December 2011/January 2012
In October, President Obama announced that all US troops would leave Iraq by 31 December. The US had hoped to keep up to 20,000 troops in the country but negotiations broke down when the Iraqi government refused to grant immunity from prosecution to US forces – something the US always insists upon wherever its troops are stationed overseas. In a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee, 12 US senators wrote ‘the complete withdrawal of our forces from Iraq is likely to be viewed as a strategic victory by our enemies in the Middle East, especially the Iranian regime’.
However, the move does not mean an end to US interference in Iraq. It sparked what The Washington Post called ‘the US State Department’s biggest overseas operation since the effort to rebuild Europe after the Second World War’ as it attempts to take over operations in Iraq from the military. In Baghdad, the biggest embassy in the world will oversee a workforce of 16,000 civilians. These will include 5,000 armed mercenaries and 4,600 people to instruct the Iraqi armed forces in the use of US military equipment. Civilian contractors will also continue to train the Iraqi police force at three training facilities. There will be two consulates and two airport support sites handling a fleet of 46 aircraft. No doubt the CIA will also remain. President Obama confirmed, ‘We will continue discussions on how we might help Iraq train and equip its forces just as we offer training and assistance to countries around the world.’
At the end of October, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expanded on US plans, saying: ‘We will have a robust continuing presence throughout the region, which is proof of our ongoing commitment to Iraq, and to the future of the region.’ The New York Times reported that the US may bolster its military presence in the Gulf by sending more combat troops (possibly a battalion or even a brigade) to Kuwait in order to respond quickly to developments over the border in Iraq or Iran. The US already has 23,000 military personnel in Kuwait and another 17,000 elsewhere in the region. More US war ships will patrol the region. The US also wants to extend military ties with the Gulf Co-operation Council states and to integrate these countries’ air and naval patrols and missile defences. Bahrain and UAE already have troops in Afghanistan and Qatar and UAE joined with the NATO attacks on Libya.
Jim Craven
