We will have troops in Iraq for a long time....

[indianablue]

Rummy hinted at it, he said.

'But when asked when Iraqi security forces would be ready to take over, Rumsfeld mentioned potential threats from two neighbors, Iran and Syria, in addition to terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.'

we will use the excuse of Iran and Syria to have large troops there for decades.

[DulceDecorum]

1. Thomas Barnett: The Strategery Guy

Barnett predicts that U.S. unilateralism will lead to the "inevitability
of war." Referring to Hitler in a recent presentation, Barnett reminded his military audience that the Nazi leader never asked for permission before invading other countries. Thus, the end to multi-lateralism.

Barnett argues that the days of arms talks and international treaties are over. "There is no secret where we are going," he says as he calls for a "new ordering principle" at the Department of Defense (DoD). Barnett maintains that as jobs move out of the U.S. the primary export product of the nation will be "security." Global energy demand will necessitate U.S. control of the oil producing regions. "We will be fighting in Central Africa in 20 years," Barnett predicts.

In order to implement this new military vision," Barnett maintains that the U.S. military must move away from its often-competing mix of Air Force-Navy-Army-Marines toward two basic military services. One he names Leviathan, which he defines as the kick ass, wage war, special ops, and not under the purview of the international criminal court. Give us your angry, video game-playing 18-19 year olds, for the Leviathan force, Barnett says. Once a country is conquered by Leviathan, Barnett says the U.S. will have to have a second military force that he calls Systems Administration. This force he describes as the "proconsul" of the empire, boots on the ground, the police force to control the local populations. This group, Barnett says, "will never come home."
http://www.rense.com/general61/agemnda.htm

[mikehiggins]

2. I agree with one part

The legions will never come home until the GOPukes and the neocons are blasted out of D.C.

There will always be a reason to keep troops over there, just as there will be a reason to resume drafting kids into our own Foriegn Legion.

Until, of course, the world itself unites against us...

[robcon]

3. I disagree totally.

I think the Iraqi government will ask us to leave within 2-3 years - perhaps even before the situation is stabilized.

The pressure from Iraqis not to have American troops in Iraq will be irresistable, IMO - no matter who they elect to run their government.