Causecast

by KAREN MURPHY, Contributing Writer

It’s finally happening: U.S. military forces are busy withdrawing from the cities and towns of Iraq, part of a planned gradual military pullback. Iraq’s prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has described the planned withdrawal as a turning point in Iraq’s history and declared tomorrow, June 30, as National Sovereignty Day and a public holiday, with parades taking place in many cities as well as a public celebration with Iraqi singers, poets and other festivities in Baghdad.

The withdrawal is part of a process taking place over time: U.S. military forces have been gradually pulling combat troops out of Iraq’s population centers for months to meet the deadline agreed to by Washington and Baghdad, handing over or shutting down more than 150 bases across the country and eventually withdrawing all troops except a residual force by August 2010 while gradually allowing Iraqi military and police to assume control of the country.

However, it’s not all cheering and a big “don’t let the door slam on your way out” for the Iraqis. Can we make this simple and say that the situation there is “complicated?” For one thing, insurgent attacks have been on the rise as U.S. forces depart.

•Motorcycles have been banned indefinitely after they were used last week in three separate attacks.
•Iraqi officials have warned citizens to avoid crowded places.
•The last 10 days of June have been marked by attacks and violence that have left more than 200 Iraqis dead and hundreds wounded.

Even though some Iraqis are having doubts about the American pull-out, what’s the alternative? Indefinite occupation? That’s no solution. The best we can hope for now is to hand over the reins and hope for the best, leaving a scarred country with 100,000 civilians dead, tens of thousands more displaced, maimed, or otherwise uprooted from a normal life, and over a hundred thousand US soldiers who will come home psychologically damaged.

It’s time to move on, to whatever comes next. Iraq is set to start bringing back oil production, and we should be stepping back to let the country begin its long healing process.

Photo by jim.greenhill, flickr