What will become of Iraq when U.S. forces leave at the end of this year? Is the current Iraqi government capable of dealing with life on its own? And if not, what should Iraqis do about it? Columnist Atheer Al Katib of Iraq’s Kitabat newspaper admonishes his readers to begin a great debate about what kind of government – and what kind of country – they want.
For Iraq’s Kitabat, Atheer Al Katib writes in part:
A ‘Plan B’ is of great importance, particularly with the withdrawal of U.S. troops so imminent – despite the insightful few politicians who insist on the need to extend their stay. … An understanding of the direction we want to take and developing a capacity to forecast the dangers ahead are the first steps toward avoiding disaster.
Many ask: why don’t we seek alternatives to this political arrangement? After all, what do we have to lose when, because of this regime, we lack electricity, educational opportunities and health services; and we have little or no manufacturing, trade or security – or even a future? These facts emphasize the need to think of alternatives for ensuring a better life for Iraqis. That is to say nothing of the overwhelming chaos that would follow its collapse – chaos that will go far beyond the inconvenience of even worse essential services.
But if the death of the regime is inevitable and only a matter of time, it would be self-defeating and humiliating to simply sit back and wait to see a repeat of April 9 [the day of the 2003 U.S. invasion]; find ourselves bowing to neighboring countries; or Iraq becoming the scene of yet another protracted civil war. An understanding of the direction we want to take and developing a capacity to forecast the dangers ahead are the first steps toward avoiding disaster.
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