Still no easy task

Submitted by Omar Mahmoud (Canada), Jul 26, 2007 at 14:23

Mr. Pipes,

The goals that you have outlined for the coalition after a redeployment to the desert are still very difficult to attain. Guarding pipelines and borders can leave soldiers just as vulnerable to insurgent attacks as they have in the city, only this time the insurgents would have sanctuaries where the US wouldn't follow them. Also, large bases would have to be constructed in the desert and those could just as easily be attacked by mortars and rockets.

It seems to me the US has no choice to but to eventually redeploy to friendly places, like Kurdistan, neighboring Kuwait, and possibly Jordan, where they can prevent the chaos from Iraq from overflowing to the rest of the Middle-East. They could also reach agreements with various militias and tribes in Iraq who have mutual interests in preventing al-Qaeda or Iran from establishing a foothold there.

The key policy here needs to be containment.

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