The US screwed up by invading Iraq.  I said that before the invasion began.

The question is... what happens to Iraq if America does pull out?

What do you see happening to Iraq?

People from other countries.  What will you think about the US if they pull out?  Will you see it as a good thing correcting the mistake, or will you see it as a second mistake?

To me, the war in iraq was a mistake i said so even when most people were for the war.  

It's cost the US a lot but now most people want to leave because they aren't hitting deadlines that we artificially set for them when they didn't ask us to invade them in the first place. 

Will it save... a couple thousand american lives and billions of dollars?  Yeah.

My problem with it... Iraq isn't exactly stable now, and if we pull out I gotta think things are going to get much less stable.  Sure some violence will disapear, but a lot of it will escalate to match it as varying parties clash for control of the government.  The result i fear being a giant civil war that eventually breaks into full out genocide.  The only difference is we'll be free to ignore it.

That's what pisses me off.  The Republicans want to get terrorists, the democrats want to cut america's losses and not a damn person is thinking about the citizens of the people we invaded for no real reason.

I mean... is it the money that makes it why we have to pull out?  I can't see it being the death toll.  I mean, it's something like... 4,000 currently.  A Cyclone in Bengeldesh killed around that many people in bengaldesh last year.

The whole thing to me feels like a few rich kids going into some poor kids house smashing up the place then 
refusing to make things right because it's costing them too much time and money.

It just shows how people can't take responsibility when there are government systems like the US where you can get out of any mistake by just waiting 4 years or so and claiming "Well that was that other party." 

Every time I see the words "pull out" I can't help but think of....ah never mind. It's getting too late for me. :P

I don't know what will happen once the US pulls out, but I do have a question. Why do people like focusing on the USA's "mistakes" so much? The European countries are no saints, and there have been plenty of colonization problems (even recently) which have been pretty horrible. I understand the criticism of this US vs. Iraq war, but I don't see why everything else other countries do should be overlooked.

Anyways I'm not trying to degrade this thread, it's fine to just talk about this war. I just find it weird that horrible things other countries do is just more hush hush.

If the US pulls out, you can expect something similair as to what happened in Basra a few months ago. The newly established Iraqi army was ordered to retake control of Basra after insurgents captured a few blocks.

After the fighting was done, a few divisions did not want to partake in fighting their brothers and even left weapons behind.
The coalition had to go in to retake control.

Expect Iraq to descend further into chaos and even civil war once the coalition pulls out. In the long run I wouldn't be to surprised if Iran sweeps in to take over from the "American minded government"

It doesn't matter if US stays, it's a giant mess and nobody can fix it.

Best Case Scenario:

Surge in violence occurs but quickly dies down, Iraqi army and police manage to keep some measure of control over the vast majority of the country.


Worst Case Scenario:

Iraq quickly splits on ethnic lines into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish states. Sunni and Shiite states quickly become hostile to one another and war occurs between them. Civil war occurs in Iran and Turkey as Kurdish rebels in these countries try to join the Kurdish state.

 Are we sure.  I mean... granted it's been 5 years... but it's been 5 years with Bush as president.

With a president that is actually willing to listen to the military and not just to the occasional yes men that are there it very well might be possible to stabalize the country and get everyone to the table to agree to a government where territories rights are respected by the federal government.  Having it a country of 3 "states" with the federal government having some control but mostly making sure about things like splitting oil and national defense would work well i'd think.

 Yikes.  I didn't even think about the Kurdish part.  Wish i could trust the UN to clean up the US' mess if that were to happen.

Then again maybe i could.  I'm sure even China and Russia would be against war that includes Iran as that would hurt their oil supply too. 

First of all the Kurds are not desert living nomads they have malls, skyscrapers, etc.

The  worst case scenario is civil war between Sunni and Shiites (Kurdistan likes the US and doesn't really care to much about their other Iraqi neighbors) and an Iranian influenced takeover.  Iran-Iraq war x10.  That is what the US is trying to avoid.

"What happens when the US pulls out of Iraq."

Nothing. Iraq already got f*cked.

the mistake wasnt going to iraq. saddam was evil. he wanted wmds. he referred to his nuclear scientists as his "nuclear muhjahideen".
the mistake was in how they did everything.
had it all been done better, iraq would be a mostly stable country now. And the US would be looked on a whole lot better in the world.
if the US leaves...a whole lot of people are going to die.