Support in Iraq dwindling
American hegemony is crumbling under the weight of its own superiority complex and poorly-planned foreign policy. The American empire is on the decline, and united we fall.
The “coalition of the willing” can now easily be replaced with the “coalition of the dwindling,” as countries are realizing the scope of their mistake in joining such a foolish, detrimental, bloody, dishonest and expensive war.
Luckily for us, Canada did not have an American puppet prime minister like Stephen Harper at the time, and opted to join the vast majority of the World's 193 countries in their coalition of the unwilling, thus saving us from this quagmire. Comprised of 155 countries and fully supported by the U.N., the coalition of the unwilling had the foresight to see that this war was a disaster waiting to happen.
Thirty-eight countries were not so lucky. These coerced nations did not see through the lies and deceit that American officials fed them and joined this “coalition of the willing”; a coalition that has been dwindling rapidly ever since. Spain has pulled out. The Netherlands have withdrawn. Ukraine has pulled out. Italy has left. The Philippines have pulled out. Japan has left. Thailand has pulled out. Ten other countries have also completely pulled out all of their troops and their support for this war.
The remaining countries, with the exception of the U.S., are drastically decreasing their role and presence in Iraq, and are in the process of a complete pull-out. The United Kingdom, America's biggest ally in this war, has recently announced that they are withdrawing 3000 troops from Iraq by May, nearly cutting their force there in half. Another major ally, South Korea, has already reduced the size of its force there, and is planning a complete pullout by the end of this year. Denmark is pulling out all their troops by August along with Lithuania. Poland, who once contributed 2500 soldiers, now only has 900 stationed in Iraq, and is planning to pull more out. The only two countries in this coalition that have increased the number of troops deployed in Iraq, other than the U.S., are Mongolia and Georgia.
America has been humbled once again, their mighty army incapable of subjugating and maintaining control of another nation. American soldiers, although well-equipped and large in numbers, cannot win a war that they do not understand, and don't believe in. The vast majority of American soldiers no longer want to win; they just want to come home. In fact, 72 per cent of soldiers in Iraq believe that they should all be brought home by the end of the year. Like the loss in Vietnam, the loss in Iraq is approaching and inevitable.
The war is lost, the troops want out, the coalition is non-existent, and the fact that George Bush wants to send an additional 21,500 American soldiers to fight an un-winnable war, that only his administration believes in, is both foolish and selfish.
The only way for a peaceful democracy to flourish in Iraq is for America to swallow its pride, admit its mistakes, pull out all foreign occupying forces and ask that Iraq's influential neighbors, such as Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia, to broker a ceasefire between different Iraqi leaders to end the sectarian violence.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama understands this and has therefore pledged that, once elected as the first black president of the United States, he will pull out all American troops, essentially ending this war, the first year he would take office; 2008.
Until then there is still an evil, illegal, and unjust war to denounce and protest. On March 17, the fourth anniversary of the beginning of this war, join millions around the world for the international day against the illegal wars and occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Check: http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/M172007Events.htm for March 17 actions near you. If your town isn't listed then organize an action of your own.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The “coalition of the willing” can now easily be replaced with the “coalition of the dwindling,” as countries are realizing the scope of their mistake in joining such a foolish, detrimental, bloody, dishonest and expensive war.
Luckily for us, Canada did not have an American puppet prime minister like Stephen Harper at the time, and opted to join the vast majority of the World's 193 countries in their coalition of the unwilling, thus saving us from this quagmire. Comprised of 155 countries and fully supported by the U.N., the coalition of the unwilling had the foresight to see that this war was a disaster waiting to happen.
Thirty-eight countries were not so lucky. These coerced nations did not see through the lies and deceit that American officials fed them and joined this “coalition of the willing”; a coalition that has been dwindling rapidly ever since. Spain has pulled out. The Netherlands have withdrawn. Ukraine has pulled out. Italy has left. The Philippines have pulled out. Japan has left. Thailand has pulled out. Ten other countries have also completely pulled out all of their troops and their support for this war.
The remaining countries, with the exception of the U.S., are drastically decreasing their role and presence in Iraq, and are in the process of a complete pull-out. The United Kingdom, America's biggest ally in this war, has recently announced that they are withdrawing 3000 troops from Iraq by May, nearly cutting their force there in half. Another major ally, South Korea, has already reduced the size of its force there, and is planning a complete pullout by the end of this year. Denmark is pulling out all their troops by August along with Lithuania. Poland, who once contributed 2500 soldiers, now only has 900 stationed in Iraq, and is planning to pull more out. The only two countries in this coalition that have increased the number of troops deployed in Iraq, other than the U.S., are Mongolia and Georgia.
America has been humbled once again, their mighty army incapable of subjugating and maintaining control of another nation. American soldiers, although well-equipped and large in numbers, cannot win a war that they do not understand, and don't believe in. The vast majority of American soldiers no longer want to win; they just want to come home. In fact, 72 per cent of soldiers in Iraq believe that they should all be brought home by the end of the year. Like the loss in Vietnam, the loss in Iraq is approaching and inevitable.
The war is lost, the troops want out, the coalition is non-existent, and the fact that George Bush wants to send an additional 21,500 American soldiers to fight an un-winnable war, that only his administration believes in, is both foolish and selfish.
The only way for a peaceful democracy to flourish in Iraq is for America to swallow its pride, admit its mistakes, pull out all foreign occupying forces and ask that Iraq's influential neighbors, such as Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia, to broker a ceasefire between different Iraqi leaders to end the sectarian violence.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama understands this and has therefore pledged that, once elected as the first black president of the United States, he will pull out all American troops, essentially ending this war, the first year he would take office; 2008.
Until then there is still an evil, illegal, and unjust war to denounce and protest. On March 17, the fourth anniversary of the beginning of this war, join millions around the world for the international day against the illegal wars and occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Check: http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/M172007Events.htm for March 17 actions near you. If your town isn't listed then organize an action of your own.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
