The Bush Response
Reader comment on item: President Bush Replies to My Iraq Critique

Submitted by Mitzi Alvin (United States), Nov 24, 2006 at 15:25

I entirely agree with you. There is no reason to think than an Islamic Iraq will be a special threat to the U.S. The worst case scenario would be if the Shia win and line up with Iran. However, even if, on a temporary basis, they use Iranian resources, it is unlikely they will want to promote a Lebanon/Syria situation. There is still a sense of Iraqi nationalism and the Iraquis are Arabs not Persians. And it is possible the Sunni will win out. They are the ones used to the avenues of power. They have been the ruling class for centuries. If they do prevail, the balance of power that Saddam maintained will be restored. As for Islamism, that seems to be a coming trend for the forseeable future. In any case whoever wins will be in a weakened position for a long time. The U.S. could and should remain in the area. The Saudis may well be hospitable to us as a hedge against Iran and that goes for other Sunni states in the area. Plus, I do think we are obligated to protect the Kurds.

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