"I think we are winning. Okay? I think we're definitely winning. I think we've been winning for some time." - Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the Iraq War 04/26/05
"I just wonder if they will ever tell us the truth." - Harold Casey, Louisville, KY, October 2004.
Andrew Terrill has a brief article out from last month discussing the issue of permanent US bases in Iraq: The Danger of Seeking Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq US Army Strategic Studies Institute Nov. 2005 Op-Ed.
He argues that whatever benefit the available of US forces in-country to support the Iraqi government would be, it would be at least partially offset by the danger of reducing the legitimacy of the Iraqi government by making it appear too close to the United States.
And he also contends that US bases in any large Arab country are problematic:
Perhaps most significantly, large and important Arab countries are seldom the most optimal places in which to place Western military bases. The presence of such facilities is widely taken to imply a certain higher level of Western influence over the government in question. Such a relationship is not only embarrassing with the public, but it is also a serious obstacle to seeking regional and Arab leadership and regionwide respect, especially at a time when anti-Americanism is high. Smaller Arab states, by contrast, have no serious chance of claiming Arab leadership, and this factor is not a consideration for them. Additionally, small wealthy states, such as Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, clearly see U.S. bases as an important source of protection from bullying and perhaps even military invasion by larger regional neighbors. These states are much easier to work with in time of crisis, and their facilities can meet the same operational requirement as bases in Iraq.
Terrill also addresses the issue of Iraqi bases at greater length in a paper on which I commented in an October 13 post: Iraq War: An optimistic view.
"Wars are easy to get into, but hard as hell to get out of." - George McGovern and Jim McGovern 06/06/05
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