Commentary: Faux exit from IraqBy Charles V. Pena | The Independent Institute
Posted on Wednesday, September 1, 2010
When the U.S. Army's 4th Stryker brigade combat team crossed the border into Kuwait last month, President Obama hailed the occasion as the end of an era.
"We are keeping the promise I made when I began my campaign for the presidency," the president proclaimed. "By the end of this month, we will have removed 100,000 troops from Iraq and our combat mission will be over." And on Tuesday night, he drove the point home in his address to the nation.
The president was technically correct. But the story is far from over.
The stated rationale for the U.S. withdrawal was to avoid "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences." With 50,000 U.S. troops still there, however, the withdrawal is a faux exit. Until all U.S. troops - combat or otherwise - have vacated Iraq, we are left with an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undetermined consequences.
To begin, 50,000 soldiers is not insignificant. That's roughly the equivalent of three divisions or 10 brigades. They may not be designated as combat troops, but they still wear uniforms and carry weapons - which will not be lost on the civilian population. Imagine if there were 50,000 armed foreign soldiers in the United States. It's not likely the American public would take kindly to such an occupation. So why should we assume the Iraqis will? 
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