Four months ago, Steve Rendall wrote here (9/10/10) about the militarization of the State Department and its role in the continuing occupation of Iraq—developments that were getting little attention amidst all the talk of the “end” of the war.
Now Aaron Davis of the Washington Post (1/14/11) fills in some of those details, writing that “the contours of a large and lasting American presence here are starting to take shape.” Davis adds that:
Planning is underway to turn over to the State Department some of the most prominent symbols of the U.S. role in the war—including several major bases and a significant portion of the Green Zone.
The department would use the bases to house a force of private security contractors and support staff that it expects to triple in size, to between 7,000 and 8,000, U.S. officials said.
The piece is worth reading, despite its unfortunate headline: “U.S. Plans for Presence in Iraq After Pullout.” Obviously, if you’re planning on being present somewhere, then you’re not really “pulling out.”
War against an innocent civilian population is a political hate crime no less than is the suppression of dissent against a war that has no basis but political gain.
A war should never be fought to gain political advantage but only against a credible threat. Ten years is far too long for a war that serves no purpose other than to provide a field of competition between the pro-war parties to settle the claim of which is the most pro-war.