PNAC Richard Perle has the best advice re: Iraq situation (PULL OUT)

[Roland99]

Those were, essentially, his very words to Vladimir Pozner re: Afghanistan:

Pozner: "We've asked the United States help us get out if you're really interested in stopping the bloodshed. Provided that indeed that no more aid is given to what people here call freedom fights and we call counter-revolutionaries. I believe that's possible provided the United States is interested in the same."

Perle: "They arrived in a matter of days on Christmas Eve in 1979 they can be home by Christmas Eve if they decide to leave Afghanistan, and let the Afghans decide their own future. If you leave, the problem of support to the Mujahedeen solves itself."


Gorbachev was shocked at the US response and warned the US, via the KGB, that democracy would not rise in Afghanistan, rather, extreme forms if Islamism would rise up.

Gorbachev's warning was ignored and, eventually, the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan and eventually came to harbor Al Qaeda after bin Laden left Sudan. The rest, as they say, is history.


Now, extrapolate Perle's advice to the Soviets to, essentially, "cut and run" to today's atmosphere in Iraq.

Iraq has a rather stable government and a modicum of democracy (sprinkled with a healthy dose of corruption) and much greater international awareness than Afghanistan in the late 1980s.

Wouldn't the PNAC's own advice to the Soviets now actually be best for America? Let Iraq fend for itself and stop the bloodshed by removing the source of the problem (an occupying foreign force).

[msongs]

1. we won! lets send cheney to Iraq to accept the grateful thanks of

the iraqi people for trashing the wmds and nukes, getting rid of sadaam, and restoring the glory of the lost empire. then say goodbye and now its your turn..and leave!

end the occupation.

Msongs

can you sing?
www.msongs.com/vocalistwanted.htm

[Cocoa]

2. some Soviet equivalent of Perle probably made a prediction

about a grand plaza in Kabul named after Breznev. See my sig line.

[Roland99]

3. No, I doubt it. At that point, the Soviets were looking for a way out.

Under Gorbachev, they'd realized they were not going to "win" in Afghanistan and were looking for the best way out in order to somewhat save face over the massive amount of lives lost and money spent.

They were seeking the US's help but since the PNAC neocons were in charge of US foreign policy and had helped create the exaggeration that the Soviets were a boogeyman bent on world domination, this was a perfect way to help them self-destruct to "prove" their point.

[Cocoa]

4. but there was a phase where they were promoting the war to their people

I'd love to see a comparison between Bush's propaganda offensive and Breznev's.

[Roland99]

5. Probably quite similar. But, Brezhnev predates the timing of Perle's

statement.

Gorbachev was in power then and was reversing course re: Afghanistan.