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As far as a pullout in Iraq is concerned does anyone else feel that to do so too soon could potentially scar the region much longer than an extended occupation would?
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I think the violence level in Iraq is going to continue getting higher as long as the country is occupied. We haven't manged to prevent the civil war we fear would occur should we leave. They are currently in a state of civl war, with one side having some little access to state resources, such as the police. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the Iraqi police force (which is predominantly of one sect) is carrying out a policy of sectional terror against civilians who belong to the other main sect. The presence of coalition troops does not seem to mitigate this behaviour at all.
Meanwhile, the groups who are conducting a guerrilla war against coalition troops are almost impossible to root out and will continue to fight ferociously against them for as long as they are present. Remove the troops and their ability to recruit will be severely diminished.
It's almost impossible for anybody to say exactly what will happen when the troops pull out, but what can clearly be seen is the fact that their presence is not promoting peace within Iraq, it is having the opposite effect.