Obama at Le Juene: Military Occupation or Soft Power in Iraq (and Afghanistan!)?

Just passing this along as a quite voice of sanity in a forest of madness.

CONTACT: Socialist Party USA
339 Lafayette St. #303
New York, NY 10012
E-mail: natsec@socialistparty-usa.org
Website: www.socialistparty-usa.org
Contact: William Wharton, Editor, The Socialist
Phone: (William Wharton) 718-869-2279

Obama at Le Juene: Military Occupation or Soft Power in Iraq (and Afghanistan!)?
By William Wharton, Editor The Socialist

New York, NY, February 27, 2009- The war and occupation of Iraq has been a brutal. Casualties estimated to range as high as one million Iraqis, atrocities associated with Abu Ghraib prison and the introduction of violence to the everyday lives of millions of Iraqis all highlight the abject failure of US military ambitions. While a road away from these politics of pre-emptive strikes and military occupation is welcome, the Socialist Party USA calls for more immediate actions. We demand the immediate and unconditional removal of all US military forces from both Iraq and Afghanistan.

US President Barack Obama argued correctly today that the military occupation of Iraq, “cannot be sustained indefinitely” and that America could no longer see the war “in isolation” from what he identified other national priorities such as solving the economic crisis. Yet, as the saying goes, the devil is often in the details. Obama’s plan calls for the removal of US combat brigades by August 31, 2010 but, he also intends to leave 35-50,000 US trainers, counterinsurgency troops and military advisers in the country until the end of 2011.

Such troops can easily become bogged down in military disputes initiated local armed groups or sectarian elements in the Iraqi military and police thereby extending the role of the US military in Iraq indefinitely. Obama ignores the fundamental problems of US military occupation. The continued presence of US forces inflames regional politics thereby providing easy support for all sorts of reactionary political projects contending for the title of fighting against the occupation. Only the complete and unconditional removal of troops can allow for spaces to be created where the social movements and institutions necessary to create genuinely democratic resolutions can flourish.

Another important part of US disengagement from Iraq must include economic as well as military withdrawal. Obama’s speech offered no comments about the US corporations which have carved up large sectors of the Iraqi economy. The country is filled with US contractors, corporate managers and a murky subculture of mercenaries and irregular forces. US corporate power extends from the high-profile actions of Halliburton to the less recognized activities of professional interrogators and security consultants such as L-3 Communications. Any US military withdrawal must include a US corporate withdrawal.

What Obama articulated today was nothing less than a plan to re-organize US “soft-power” or “imperialism with an economic face” in the region. He seeks to use economic and diplomatic means to enhance a “comprehensive American engagement throughout the region.” His appointment of Chris Hill, a veteran of the Peace Corps, demonstrates his desire to link NGOs activities with corporate profiteering and diplomatic negotiations. Such a transition offers little hope for either the national sovereignty of Iraq or for working people throughout the region who are interested in creating progressive political projects.

The transition from military occupation to “soft-power” will not be conducted smoothly. Near the end of the speech he called for a “re-focusing in Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” This comment squares with campaign promises made by Obama to pour troops into Afghanistan and to develop a more aggressive stance toward the Pakistani government. Intensifying the war in Afghanistan will not weaken Al-Qaeda. It will merely lead to the death of more Afghanis, the creation of more opponents in the region and will perpetuate the stranglehold the military-industrial complex currently exercises on the US economy. The war and occupation in Afghanistan is neither sustainable nor a “good war.” It is a waste of human lives and social resources equally as futile as Iraq.

As socialists, we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all US military forces from both Iraq and Afghanistan. The US government should establish a process for providing these countries with reparations and assistance which aims to repair the damage done by the US military. In addition, we call for the closure of US military bases abroad and an immediate 50% reduction in the military budget. As socialists, we strive to create a world in which the association of peoples is based on social solidarity and free choice not material desperation or military force.

-END-