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An Independent Iraq

By Noam Chomsky at Jul 10, 2004

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For what it's worth, polls in Iraq reveal very considerable and apparently growing support for withdrawal of the US occupying army, apart from the Kurdish regions. That doesn't mean withdrawal tomorrow. No one is talking about that, and it isn't even technically feasible. But expeditious withdrawal, with a clear deadline, and an authentic rather than merely nominal transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis. That isn't in the cards, but not because of concerns that the region will be left in chaos; rather, because it would mean abandoning the primary and quite crucial war aim of establishing the first stable military bases in a dependent client state at the heart of the energy-producing regions, a major lever of world control, as has long been understood. The US isn't about to do that. There are other reasons. An independent Iraq would probably take steps to gain a leading position in the Arab world, which would mean confronting the main enemy, US- backed Israel. hat would mean rearming, probably with WMD, to counter Israel's. It might also lead to improving relations with Iran. Not impossible is a Shi'ite alliance with Iran and a majority-run Iraq, which might further stimulate moves towards independence in the nearby Shi'te areas of Saudi Arabia, where the oil is. That would lead to domination of the world's energy resources by an independent Shi'ite alliance. Nothing inevitable about any of this of course, but hardly impossible. Can you imagine the US tolerating anything like this? These are among the reasons why permitting democracy in Iraq, even if the rhetoric were meant seriously by Washington and Western commentators, is hardly a likely prospect. Suppose that internal pressures in the US, and whatever pressures exist elsewhere, led to abandonment of the major war aims, so that there could be plans for expeditious withdrawal of the occupying army and transfer of authentic sovereignty. Would that lead to chaos in the region? Or would it reduce tensions and conflicts in the region? We cannot say much with confidence, of course, any more than we could have said anything with confidence about withdrawal of Japanese armies from much of Asia in the early 1940s, or of Russian forces from Afghanistan, and many other cases. But that lack of confidence is not much of an argument for military occupation.

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Re: An Independent Iraq

By Boog, Rlb at Oct 29, 2004 07:40 AM
The occupation is intent on imposing a neocon political and economic agenda on Iraq. See Naomi Klein's article in Harper's - BAGHDAD YEAR ZERO and then speculate on the potential benefits for the Iraqi people and prospects for success.

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By Znetblogs, Seeker at Sep 25, 2004 06:14 AM
Although we in effect occupied Japan and Europe after WW2, did those occupations not provide some stability and help set a rule of law so that society could build back up? I understand that some of those new rules of law and procedure were not done exclusively with the best interest of the occupied parties in mind. Nonetheless, did they not benefit from the stability and support? After the fall of the Berlin Wall, West Germany seemed to take East Germany under its wing to help rebuild it at a great cost. Was that not to the benefit of East Germany? So my question is when might an occupation, and aren't they usually military in nature, be to the benefit of the occupied and under what conditions? Specifically, when in history have we seen such events? Would not an unoccupied Iraq be in a state of guaranteed civil war and if there is a way for us to help prevent that (since we did in fact cause it) under what conditions would it be the right thing, and in Iraq's best interest, for us to continue occupation?

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