18+ General Discussion Forum

It's pretty much a done deal, we're going to be leaving Iraq, probably before the 2008 elections. So what do we do? Well, I have two ideas with one thing in common with both of them. The Kurds must be independent of Iraq. They've more than earned it and we need them badly.

Muqtada al Sadr. Now this just makes me absolutely sick, but the best solution seems to be making a deal with the radical Shiite cleric. For one thing, he hates the Sunnis, meaning Al Qaeda, which would put a serious rain on their victory celebrations when we leave.
The Iraqi's love him, in all likely hood they're going to throw him a parade when we leave no matter what we do.
He's been known to be against Iranian influence. He knows, though, that he has the Sunnis, Al Qaeda, Iran, and America to worry about on top of the many Shiite factions. He needs a friend and if it's not us then it's going to be Iran.
The problems with this idea are self evident. We would have deposed a dictator and replaced him with a dictator.

Idea 2, leave the Shiites and the Sunnis at it and withdraw to Kuwait and Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds are strong and moderate, failing all else the Kurds must have an independent nation. There are also strong Kurdish minorities in Iran, Syria and Turkey. We're more interested in Iran and Syria, the point is the Kurds dream of an independent nation, Kurdistan, who's borders extend into all of these countries. Therefore the stronger the Kurds are, the happier we are.
Though if we ignore the Sunnis and the Sunnis are going to be exterminated by the Shiites, probably led by Al Sadr with Iranian support. The problem with this is a powerful Al Sadr with Iranian support because I certainly don't think we should go out of our way to protect the Sunnis, who are responsible for most of the road side bombs in Iraq and who thought it was a good idea to blow up the Shiites' sacred Golden Mosque twice.