Pulling Out Of Iraq?

Question

If we pull out of Iraq soon, will the rest of the world see us as a weak, [france-like] uncourageous country? Will it effect the demeanor of the state?

Answer 1

We gave them everything they needed to band together and be united as a democracy. Those damn people just want to fight with eachother, fight over stupid things, and argue. You can lead a horse to water....

We won the war, we just couldnt finish it for them.

Answer 2

Yes they will see the US as weak, they will see the US as a country which is only strong as a supplier of military weapons, not as strong politically. One could even argue this will show US style democracy as being weak.
There is a big difference between invading a country and running it. From what I've seen on TV and in the media, the problems go back to the surrender of the Iraqi forces and the collapse of the Iraqi Government.
My guess ( I say guess because this is in hindsight, but at the time there was speculation in the media that this was the right approach) is the US should have reconvened the Iraqi Parliament (minus the ones who had to go immediately) and maintain law and order. Then, over the next year or so weeded out the people they didn't actually want involved in running the country or who had committed serious crimes, changed the constitution, made the necessary law changes, etc.
Instead the US military allowed the Iraqi Government to collapse, and then the collapse of the police, military, and civic administration, then the collapse of law and order, then the establishment of defacto law and order by various power factions.
Now they have a problem because they are trying to rebuild a credible Iraqi Government, military and police, civic administration, law and order, and the dismembering of the various power factions and their defacto law and order.

Answer 3

The rest of the world already has a poor impression of us.
Remember: our president gave the UN the one-finger salute when he decided to charge into Iraq.

At this point in American history, it really doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks about us.
What is needed is some serious planning for getting out of this nightmare.
The recent Baker report ("Iraq Study Group") is a good first step.
But don't hold your breath that the president will consider it...let alone read it.
After all, Bush didn't bother to read his dad's book on why G.H.W. Bush chose not to push into Iraq during the Gulf War.
Subsequently, "W" is living proof to the saying that those who forget the past will be condemned to relive it.

Unlike Vietnam, the demeanor of the state will not be as intolerant of the vets coming back as was the case some 30+ years ago.
Its a different world.
My concern is for the mental help that our troops will need.
Already, the V.A. is not spending enough to help troops returning back from war.

Anyway - after we pull out of this tar baby, we've got to focus on how to resolve the massive debt that this foolish invasion has cost us.

Answer 4

No they won,t see us a weak,we should have not been there to begin with.The reason for our attack to start with is to pay them back and let them not get away with the 911 bombing...The problem with that is Iraq did not do that bombing...the saudie,s did that,however Mr Bush did not want to attack saudie araba because he has interest in the oil there...Yes we should pull our men from Iraq,they are grtting killed daily,and innocent people along with women and children are getting killed...on a daily basis...Mr Bush also said he was going to build iraq back,but i don,t see any plans to do that...Now that this last election and we put the democrates back into the senate,our president has been very upset,and has started drinking again,his wife is threatening to leave him...Hes a very stubborn man.,

Answer 5

Yes, we WILL be seen as WEAK -- and that is just what the Terror organizations wanted -- to have division within the US Government and its political structure, and to have this happen -- now Iran, Syria, Osama, Al Qaeda and every other terror organization is LAUGHING all the way to their cells!

Does anyone think this is going to help anything? Does anyone think this is going to limit the attacks on Americans, American Soil or American Territory? All we have to do is look to the WEAKNESS of Carter, Clinton and the ilk for the answer -- we were the LAUGHING STOCK of the world because of their LACK of action, rolling over and playing dead, and their willingness to sell America out to TERRORISTS.

Answer 6

That's what the Iraq Study Group has strongly recommended.
What the Iraq Study Group should have done, of course--if they wanted to serve their country--was to call for two things, immediately:

The resignation of Richard Cheney.
The appointment of a "national security czar," whose decisions Bush would rubber-stamp--no longer the "Decider" but the "Approver."

Answer 7

Yea, people saw the soviet union as weak when they pulled out of Afghanistan... Give me a break, weak is killing yourself in a loosing battle. Do you realize how many resources are spent on the Iraq ocupation? If we are not going to win this, it is pointless to waste and further hurt our interests in holding on to a failed idea.

Answer 8

Yes. Remember what the world thought after Viet_nam. Remember the slaughter that forced two million people from there homes to America. The same will happen there. Al-queda is just as, if not more mental when it comes to killing opposition >>>>think 9-11. We have two choices, break their will, or tuck tail and flee. After 1300 years they remember how the Franks defeated them (thus they call us "Franks")* Let's make a lasting impression, but let's do it right.

Answer 9

My opinion is who cares what they think. In a conventional war where there would be a front line, and invasions we would destroy any country on the planet. If some country thinks we're weak let them mess with us, we'll destroy whole cities of theirs with guided missles and bombs, without endangering one American life. Then we'll see who's weak

Answer 10

weak if we do it right now. we should never have gone in, but now that were there we have an obligation to stabilize the country

Answer 11

yes we will be viewed as weak we should untie the hands of the military and let them do their job the sooner we do the sooner we can leave