How would you rate my plan for Iraq?

Question

1) Focus on training the Iraqi troops, and reduce combat roles of American troops. Withdraw slowly. Keep a small contingent of special forces, a light infantry brigade, a stryker brigade, air support, and intelligence elements in country. What needs to seen by the Iraqis is us leaving a less visible footprint on Iraq that doesn't look like occupiers. However, there need to be enough forces to deal with an enemy buildup when necessary.
2)The Israeli-Palestinian crisis is related to the other problems in the region. Pressure Israel to make a settlement, and don't guarantee them unconditional aid
3) Beef up forces in Afghanistan to route out the resurgent taleban forces and al-quaida. Step up pressure on Pakistan and conduct missions within the Pakistan border that are clandestine.
4) Keep the pressure on Iran by moving carriers and warships in the region to make him THINK we are going to attack, but don't do it! Saddam was willing to let weapons inspectors in before the war started, and we ignored him. This time, go to the brink but don't attack. Get them to negotiate when we are at a position of strength. If we start redeploying our forces, they won't be overstreached and the option to attack would "look" more viable.

Answer 1

It sounds like a good plan to me.
However the difficulty in Iraq is overcoming the sectarian nature of that country. Iraqi Sunnis and Shias need something to unite around. There was talk before the Iraq war about re-installing the exiled King of Iraq. That hasn't been mentioned much since but I think it is worth a try. It may be too late but I would moot it to the Iraqi government anyway. I hope someone in power thinks the same thing.

Answer 2

Here's my response to your plan:

1) This actually sounds decent to me. The only thing that I would add is that the troops who remain in the region need to be allowed to do their jobs. They need to stop fighting a politically correct war and fight like they did in WWII, no holds barred. Also, get the media out of there! Soldiers cannot do their jobs when everything they do could land them in prison for murder. It's a war! It's not like they're roaming around just killing people for the fun of it. They do it because there is a threat against their life.

2) I absolutely do not agree with you on this. Do you know how many settlements have been attempted between the Israelis and Palestinians? One was first put forth when Israel first became a country. The Palestinians rejected it. Clinton tried several times to do the same thing, and even though the negotiations went well, the Palestinians didn't follow through. And, if I am remembering correctly, a year or two ago, the Israelis pulled their people out of their homes to give the land to the Palestinians and there are still suicide bombings going on. Palestinians don't want to share the land, they want to annihilate the Jews and keep the land for themselves.

3) I agree with you on this.

4) I agree with you about moving military forces into the region, but if it looks as though Iran is going to launch a bomb, I say attack away. It is better to get them first and stop them than allow them to kill thousands of innocent Israelis, Europeans, or Americans. We can't sit back and let them have the first punch when that many lives are on the line. If they choose to be crazy and fulfill their threats, then they need to be prepared to accept the consequences.

Answer 3

There was this little country in south east Asia, a fella named Kennedy thought we could do a better job of helping to straighten things out, so he O.K.'s an assassination of President Diem. What followed was pretty much well documented till we tried the slow withdrawal and the famous last helicopter photo. Then came the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. So bottom line whether we are ther for the right reason or not, this country is the only one that can stand in that gap. A plan would be to bet some of the Saudi's and Kuwait to come and man the post

Answer 4

Your answer is not bad.

That is the plan. Take a look and the US troops patrol a very small portion of Iraq. By the end of the year we will likely be only in and around Baghdad, Al Anbar, and a very small portion north of Baghdad. Our "footprint" is not that large as it is.

What settlement can Isreal make that would be acceptable? Many Arab nations do not want them to exist at all. Maybe they should just volunteer to be slaves.

My guess is we are conducting clandestine ops in Pakistan. I agree we can beef up forces. No other countries will help so I guess it will be the US again. I am OK with that.

We are not overstretched as it is. We can take Tehran with a couple of boy scout troops with a contingent of girl scouts attached.

Answer 5

The trick is to implement your plan, are any plan. You can't get them fanatics to agree on any thing. As long as you have Iran and Syria and every other nut case fanning the flames over there there will never be piece over there. All them people over there have been killing each other for century's. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and all the rest of them countries were made up by the Brits when they pulled out of the area. You can't put all them people together and draw a line in the sand and say now you have to live next to each other. The Shite the Sunni the Bedouins all have there own way of life and beliefs. Then you have the Kurds who's home land takes in part of Iraq and Turkey. But they are told from now on you are an Iraqi. Lots of luck getting all them tribes and groups to agree on anything. It takes a Strong Man - Sadam Hussien? - to keep all them people apart and not killing each other. OH WAITE they had a strong man, but he is no longer there.

Answer 6

Not bad. I'd add a couple other elements to the Iraq piece. 1. Concentrate our troops on the borders of Iran, Syria, and Jordan to stem the flow of al Qaeda and other non-nationalist insurgents. and 2. Force the new Iraqi government and army to deal with the sectarian warfare/terrorism in Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf, and other key trouble spots. Our conducting the house to house is only going to make matters worse. The Kurds have their acts together in the North, and things are generally quiet in the South.

Your #2 is pretty obvious to me, but easier said than done. Aid to Israel in this country is one of THE touchiest subjects.

Your #3 also has a chink to it. Pakistan has to be treated with kid gloves. They're an established nuclear power and they're almost entirely Muslim. Their populace is not exactly sympathetic to our *cause*. Musharraf is constantly walking a highwire, and we can't get too pushy. Blood is thicker than water. I think we should have taken care of business in Afghanistan back in '02. We just set up Karzai and then backed off from the task at hand. Sad. Talk about changing horses in mid-stream! That's when we began to lose world sympathy/support.

Your #4 - We always have carriers in the region, due to the proximity to Iraq. We need to work on keeping an open dialog with Iran. Too much in your face action, with our current troop strength stretched as it is, is not the wisest course of action, in my opinion.

Answer 7

The world would certainly be a better place if men and the facts would only behave the way they were supposed to.

If they would, we wouldn't need the world's policeman beefing up their forces all around the globe.

The problem lies in the fact that "they" have something that "we" want, but we have nothing that they want. This alone makes negotiations very difficult.

Can we offer them anything besides peace?

Answer 8

Absolutely EXCELLENT minus one point. The part about Iran was not so hot. A bluff won't work with fanatics. But other than that you are right on point sure wish you worked in politics :)

Answer 9

Good effort, at least your trying to put up a solution rather than simply bash those who do, so bravo. Unfortunatley it seems you have no Senior Military expierience to see the flaws in your plan, but like I said, I applaude your effort to think for yourself rather than jump on everyone elses bandwagon.

Answer 10

Well, Duh! You think? (Said very sarcastically) this is what a wise person would do.

But not a president whos getting rich kickbacks from all the military civilian contractors such as Halburton and their subsidiarys now right?

Good plan, except it won't work cause we've got a retard in the White House