by Todd Daigneault

Created on: July 01, 2007   Last Updated: June 05, 2010

The US should pull its troops out of Iraq. Consider these factors. The American military is just bogged down in a neverending war of attrition with well-armed, well-trained insurgents who could literally fight on for decades. This monumentally ugly war of attrition has killed thousands of US troops (and wounded over 25,000) with little or nothing to show for it. United States soldiers are spilling their blood seemingly for little or nothing. It does not make sense for these soldiers to continue to sacrifice themselves to gain nothing but a neverending occupation.  With the US military basically maintaining an occupation, it makes sense to leave.

Even the recent US "troop surge" means very little in the equation-the insurgents have become increasingly sophisticated at fighting US forces...and more importantly very adept at concealment. Additionally, many have moved into key positions in the security, millitary and intelligence networks of the country-effectively controlling parts of the mechanisms of control of the Iraqi government. The Iraq war is Viet-Nam all over again. An apt title for it would be "Viet-Nam: the Next Generation"-the parallels are that shocking to the vast majority of us who may have lived during that time, are or very familiar with history.  For combat veterans of Viet-Nam, the familiarity may be all too real.

The US sacrificed tens of thousands of US soldiers in Viet-Nam, and the enemy still won. In this war, the US will more than likely pull out its troops over a period of time, seemingly trying to get out of the mess and mire of this ugly war. As for a long-term stable, democractic government in Iraq, either the government will be the insurgency...or the insurgency will be the government. That's what it will grind down to in the end, some form of, or complete control of, or shared control of the government by the various insurgent groups, operating from the three environs, primarily the Shia and Sunni zones. The country may end up disintegrating into three zones, in part dominated by a more powerful and much more dominant Iran.

Eventually, one of the two main groups in Iraq will fight to control the entire country through a coup, much like what Saddam Hussein did when he rose to power. A general or other military dictator will rise to power, consolidating his power in purges and mass killings, like Saddam did. The US will initially be abhorred, but will not intervene, due to the political nightmare of their previous long bloody

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