Iraq

The New York Times has an editorial this morning on the conference held on Iraq in Egypt.

Foreign ministers from all the right countries were present. The timing - two months before the scheduled date of Iraq's all-important elections - was promising. The Mideast location was symbolically apt. Too bad, then, that this week's big international conference on Iraq in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el Sheik, bringing together all of Baghdad's neighbors and every permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, did so little to change the dismal overall equation.

The fact that the conference came up with no solutions is not surprising, as long as the United States occupies Iraq there are no solutions. As Jazz put it so well "My position on our situation in Iraq is unchanged by the Holiday Spirit. We need to get the fuck out and we need to do it now." The US IS the problem in Iraq and no progress can be made as long as US forces occupy the country. The Times ends their otherwise decent editorial with a paragraph of pure unrealistic dreaming.

To begin changing this bleak picture, the Bush administration will have to work much harder at international bridge building than it did in its first term. Simply soliciting support for current American policies will not be enough. Washington must also be willing to consider changing some of those policies as part of a renewed process of international consultation. That might lead to more productive international conferences in the future.

Does anybody really think any of that will happen?

It is not in the best interests of the world or Iraq's neighbors for the country to be in chaos. Once the US pulls out altogether there may be some willingness for others to step in to try to restore order but order is not possible with a US presence in Iraq. Jazz is right, We need to get the fuck out and we need to do it now.