US Foreign Policy // Current

Iraqi cabinet accepts US agreement

Sabah al-Nasseri: Strong nationalist movement has mobilized against the agreement, and they have guns. Part 3

The Iraqi cabinet agreed by a vote of 27-1 on Sunday to approve the newest US draft of the Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries. The agreement speaks to a variety of issues concerning the occupation, including the complete withdrawal from Iraq of US forces by the end of 2011. Moreover, it includes a promise from the US to not use Iraqi territory as a launch pad to attack inside other Middle-eastern countries, as it did in late October during a raid on a village inside Syria. Sabah al-Nasseri believes that the Iraqi parliament will eventually turn down the agreement for political reasons, in the interests of securing one with Barack Obama when he comes to power in January. The timing is important as the Iraqi provincial elections, which are extremely significant given the power granted provinces under the Iraqi constitution, will take place on January 31. Sabah believes that the importance of faring well in those elections will force the parliament to reject an agreement which has received the rebuke of numerous groups, both religious and secular, who have organized massive protests over recent weeks. One piece of the agreement that very few people are talking about, which Sabah believes has angered many nationalists of all stripes, is the labeling of any armed resistance against occupation forces as terrorists, thereby criminalizing their activities under Iraqi law. Sabah believes that the most recent violence in Iraq was carried out by secular nationalists who are opposed to the deal, given that the targets of the attacks were all US and Iraqi government elements. Sabah, who was born and raised in the Southern Iraqi city of Basra, reiterates his support for an immediate withdrawal of all foreign occupiers, believing that the violence in Iraq stems from the occupation.

Born in Basra, Iraq, Sabah al-Nasseri is Professor of Political Science (Middle East Politics) at York University, Toronto. Prior to that he was a Lecturer of Political Science at the J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt. Currently he is working on an article, “Understanding Iraq.”

See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89534152/un_mandate_for_us_troops_in_iraq_running_out.htm

See Part 2 at: http://current.com/items/89534210/be_careful_what_you_wish_for.htmSabah al-Nasseri: Strong nationalist movement has mobilized against the agreement, and they have guns. Part 3 The Iraqi cabinet... more

Vierotchka
added this

3 responses

1 hour ago

Be careful what you wish for

Sabah al-Nasseri: Will Iraq's 'democracy' reject US plan? Part 2 The Iraqi parliament will meet this weekend to... more

Vierotchka
added this

7 responses

1 day ago

UN mandate for US troops in Iraq running out

Sabah al-Nasseri: Iraqi Parliament expected to turn down US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement. Part 1 This weekend the Iraqi... more

Vierotchka
added this

1 response

1 day ago

Margolis on how to resolve Afghan conflict

Eric Margolis: Only solution is a total withdrawal of foreign forces, regardless of consequences. Part 3 In part three of our... more

Vierotchka
added this

3 responses

5 days ago

More Iraqi demands on security deal

Bush administration makes concessions on agreement, but Iraq reluctant to approve troop agreement. Iraqi government has made... more

Vierotchka
added this

6 responses

6 days ago

The war without an objective

Eric Margolis: Obama's only option is to make an agreement with Taliban and withdraw from Afghanistan. Part 2

Barack Obama was elected as the next president of the United States with a foreign policy platform based on the refocusing of US military might from Iraq to Afghanistan. In the second part of our interview with Eric Margolis, Eric tells the new president-elect that he needs to abandon his support for a strategy of military intervention in Afghanistan, make a deal with the Taliban and move his attention to areas of greater significance to US interests. The war, says Margolis, is now with the Pashtun people of Afghanistan, who make up half of the country's population, not a small group of largely disbanded terrorists known as Al Qaeda. Margolis ends by pointing out the potential for the conflict to destabilize Pakistan and potentially even draw India into a larger regional conflict.

Eric Margolis is a journalist born in New York City and holding degrees from Georgetown the University of Geneva, and New York University. During the Vietnam War he served as a US Army infantryman. Margolis is the author of War at the Top of the World –- The Struggle for Afghanistan and Asia is a syndicated columnist and broadcaster whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, Mainichi Shimbun and US Naval Institute Proceedings. Margolis is an expert of military affairs, a former instructor in strategy and tactics in the US Army, and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies and the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad, Pakistan. Eric Margolis' books have been published in the US, Canada, Britain, and India. He often appears and contributes to national and international news items for outlets such as CNN, ABC,CBC and Voice of America to the Wall Street Journal and Maninichi-Tokyo. He broadcasts regularly on foreign affairs for Canadian TV (TV Ontario and CBC), radio, and has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, and PBS.

See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89517897/obama_s_foreign_policy_challenge.htm

See Part 3 at: http://current.com/items/89525320/margolis_on_how_to_resolve_afghan_conflict.htmEric Margolis: Obama's only option is to make an agreement with Taliban and withdraw from Afghanistan. Part 2 Barack Obama... more

Vierotchka
added this

7 responses

6 days ago

Obama's vision for Pakistan

Tariq Amin-Khan: Plan espoused by Obama's top Pakistan adviser is ill-advised. Part 1

When Obama was declared the winner of the 2008 US presidential election last week, people around the world rejoiced, another sign of a clear global rejection of the Bush presidency and of a belief that Obama would be a better inheritor of US global influence than McCain. One government that relies heavily on US support for its continued existence is that of Pakistan, a country which is at a very critical juncture. A devastating economic crisis, a president lacking credibility with much of the population, a growing Taliban presence, and numerous civilian deaths resulting from US predator drone strikes inside the Pakistani border. Obama's top adviser on Pakistan, ex-CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, believes that the US should broker a deal between Pakistan and India over the disputed Kashmir territory, thus allowing Pakistan to dedicate its 600,000+ standing army to its border region with Afghanistan instead of its longtime focus on India.

Tariq believes that this plan is impossible because it denies realities of the situation, namely that the Pakistani military, the true seat of power in the country, would never allow such a shift in policy to occur as the opposition to India is their raison d'etre and any deal over Kashmir would necessarily be on India's terms and thus be an admission of Indian hegemony in the region. On another point, the goal of the plan is to free-up more military resources in order to eliminate the Taliban. This is a strategy which Tariq and a long list of others that include the current commander of the US Central Military Command Gen. David Petraeus, believe is not workable. Tariq emphasized, as he has previously on the Real News, that any successful solution to confronting the Taliban requires a policy based around economic development, not military operations. During the interview, Tariq also explains some of the factors that make the Kashmir situation more complex than the Obama camp seems to believe.

Tariq Amin-Khan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. In addition to a PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University in Toronto, he holds a Master’s degree in South Asian Studies from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Karachi in Pakistan. The title of his doctoral thesis is Theorizing the Post-Colonial State in the Era of Capitalist Globalism.Tariq Amin-Khan: Plan espoused by Obama's top Pakistan adviser is ill-advised. Part 1 When Obama was declared the winner... more

Vierotchka
added this

7 responses

6 days ago

Obama's foreign policy challenge

Eric Margolis: Bush admin has left Obama an international 'mess', with Russia at the top of the list. Part 1

After news of Barack Obama's electoral victory on Tuesday night, celebrations were seen worldwide and international leaders were falling over themselves to issue statements of approval. Eric Margolis believes that that reaction is fueled by the view that the Bush administration has created a mess that the world hopes Obama can rectify. In the first part of our interview, former GOP supporter Margolis explains why he is "elated" by Obama's victory and dismayed with his former party. Margolis outlines his belief that Obama's biggest challenge will not be in confronting non-state actors like Al Qaeda, but rather in deescalating the heightening tension with Russia which the Bush Administration has created with a series of recent provocations. Secondly, he will have to put forward a consistent position on relations with China, something that Bush has yet to do despite China's meteoric rise in international influence during his tenure. With respect to the economic crisis' impact on US foreign policy, Margolis offers that US power is projected to a greater extent through its dollar, as expressed through the strategic funding of allies within foreign countries, than through its military. As such, the US will have to acclimatize itself to a reduced level of influence in the world if the economy does not recover.

Eric Margolis is a journalist born in New York City and holding degrees from Georgetown the University of Geneva, and New York University. During the Vietnam War he served as a US Army infantryman. Margolis is the author of War at the Top of the World –- The Struggle for Afghanistan and Asia is a syndicated columnist and broadcaster whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, Mainichi Shimbun and US Naval Institute Proceedings. Margolis is an expert of military affairs, a former instructor in strategy and tactics in the US Army, and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies and the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad, Pakistan. Eric Margolis' books have been published in the US, Canada, Britain, and India. He often appears and contributes to national and international news items for outlets such as CNN, ABC,CBC and Voice of America to the Wall Street Journal and Maninichi-Tokyo. He broadcasts regularly on foreign affairs for Canadian TV (TV Ontario and CBC), radio, and has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, and PBS.

See Part 2 at: http://current.com/items/89520249/the_war_without_an_objective.htm

See Part 3 at: http://current.com/items/89525320/margolis_on_how_to_resolve_afghan_conflict.htmEric Margolis: Bush admin has left Obama an international 'mess', with Russia at the top of the list. Part 1 After... more

Vierotchka
added this

9 responses

7 days ago

Obama and global security

J. Schell: Obama has echoed a hard line against Iran; will his actual policy be a break with Bush? Part 2 of 2 The Obama... more

Vierotchka
added this

3 responses

8 days ago

Obama and Emanuel

Does Emanuel appointment affect Obama Middle East policy? Barack Obama's position on the Mideast conflict will be a strong... more

Vierotchka
added this

6 responses

9 days ago

Obama and Latin America

Hylton: Will Obama recognize Latin America is no longer "America's backyard'? Who will get the key job? Barack... more

Vierotchka
added this

5 responses

10 days ago

Saakashvili called McCain, Obama his friends

Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili said the victory of either Barack Obama or John McCain would satisfy him, Interfax... more

Vierotchka
added this

9 responses

13 days ago

Pakistan says next US leader must stop attacks

The next U.S. president must halt missile strikes on insurgent targets in northwest Pakistan or risk failure in its efforts to end... more

Vierotchka
added this

33 responses

14 days ago

October surprises

Pepe Escobar Commentary: Al Gore campaigns for Obama in Florida; Bin Laden still not heard from. For months there has been... more

Vierotchka
added this

10 responses

17 days ago

US should say yes to drugs in Afghanistan

Sunil Ram: A rational policy requires buying poppies from Afghan farmers, and cutting out warlords. Part 3

In part three of our interview with security expert Sunil Ram, Sunil provides his answer to the hypothetical 3am phone call from the new U.S. president over what to do in Afghanistan. Sunil advocates for the replacement of the Karzai administration with a western military rule along with the open engagement in the Afghan drug economy, thus removing the financial lifeline of the warlords and the Taliban as well as providing economic stimulus to the Afghan population in a more effective way than the aid programs that are already in place. The opium could be marketed as a pharmaceutical product, as advocated by the Senlis Council, or even burned immediately, believes Sunil, but it must be taken out of the hands of the traffickers. Sunil attributes the unwillingness to pursue an active drug strategy not to a state of ignorance of the role of drug money, but rather to a combination of corruption and a general preference within the administration toward focusing on Iraq, a preference that has been present since day one.

Sunil Ram is a military and security expert with Alexis International, an international consulting firm. He is the Contributing Editor of SITREP, the private defense journal of the Royal Canadian Military Institute, and has served in the Canadian Forces as both a soldier and officer between 1980-86 and 1997-99. Sunil also served as a military adviser to the Saudi Royal Family for over ten years, including involvement in the 1991 Gulf War and the Yemeni conflict in the 1990s. He has won a series of awards, including the UN Global Citizen Award presented to him in 1995 by the UN. He has also published a variety of articles and books and has had columns on military affairs published in newspapers, such as Canada’s Globe and Mail.

See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89455917_pakistan_in_a_panic

See Part 2 at: http://current.com/items/89462939_drugs_and_the_pakistani_military
Sunil Ram: A rational policy requires buying poppies from Afghan farmers, and cutting out warlords. Part 3 In part three of our... more