The absurdities of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan: Siddiqui

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/06/18/the_absurdities_of_us_involvement_in_iraq_and_afghanistan_siddiqui.html



More than a decade after the beginnings of George W. Bush's two wars, bombs are still falling in the invaded countries.

The absurdities of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan: Siddiqui
By: Haroon Siddiqui Columnist, Published on Wed Jun 18 2014

Being a statement of the obvious, it is rarely stated but should be often: Every new catastrophe in Iraq is a reminder to Canadians how right Jean Chrétien was in begging off George W. Bush’s 2003 invasion and how profoundly wrong Stephen Harper, Ernie Eves, Tim Hudak, Michael Ignatieff and some others in the political, academic and media establishment were in wanting us to jump on that war bandwagon.

~snip~

Maliki was the CIA’s choice for prime minister in 2006. That was the time when the anti-American insurgency had deteriorated into a civil war under then Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari, prompting Bush to ask the American ambassador in Baghdad, “Can you get rid of Jaafari?” To which Zalmay Khalilzad said, “Yes.” Then a CIA officer suggested Maliki, “a tough guy,” as a replacement. Maliki was later duly elected. Yet Maliki did not want American troops and bases beyond 2011.

Similarly, Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai, also a CIA pick, is refusing to sign an agreement to keep American troops and bases beyond 2014.

~snip~

Thirteen years after the American invasion, bombs are still going off in Kabul, and the second largest city, Kandahar, is not secure. More than a decade after the American invasion of Iraq, bombs are going off in Baghdad and Maliki has lost Mosul, the second largest city.