Collective Arab Response Needed to Iraq Challenges
Osama Al Sharif, 16/4/08
Something was amiss in the testimonies of US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and US general commanding the Iraq war, Gen. David Petraeus, before US Congress last week. Amid the carefully chosen words and phrases, one could look all day for definitive signs of optimism about the status of America’s war in Iraq and come out empty handed. And when the general says about the famous surge that “progress made was fragile and reversible” or that there had been “significant but uneven security progress” the sense of hope begins to dissipate. Petraeus has asked for an open-ended suspension of troop withdrawal and his request has been echoed by Crocker. Few days later President Bush, speaking on the 5th anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, supported that request… To solicit Arab assistance at this juncture of the US misadventure in Iraq is a bit outrageous. America’s Arab friends and allies were never consulted on US strategy and conflicting policies in Iraq. They were certainly opposed to the invasion and when America went ahead with its war they offered advice and plenty of warnings on the dangerous ramifications that will surface as a result.
See: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=109000&d=16&m=4&y=2008
Tags: Arab States, Iraq, Terrorism, USA