...that is the end of the war in Iraq. Read all about it at Counterlight's Peculiars.
The invasion and occupation cost the lives of 4,407 American soldiers. The British medical journal The Lancet, estimates an Iraqi death toll of more than 650,000. Billions of dollars were lost to corruption on the part of Iraqi officials and private contractors and still remains unaccounted for. The cost of the war was kept off of the federal books and was largely paid for by borrowed money dramatically escalating the national debt. The full cost of the war will probably end up in an economy-wrecking figure of trillions upon trillions of dollars. This was an imperial adventure paid for on a credit card.Read the rest at the link above. Doug's written a fine post.
Picture from Wikipedia.
UPDATE: When the troops leave, the US Department of State will take over from the military.
From ABC News:
There will be a US embassy in Baghdad which, when it opened in early January 2009, was one of the largest and most expensive ever built. There will be consulates in Basra and Irbil, which both opened in June 2011. There is also a diplomatic presence in Kirkuk that will eventually become a consulate.
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Roughly 1,700 people will be working under the American mission in Iraq at the various diplomatic posts. About 300 are Iraqi citizens (translators, etc) and a small number of third country nationals, so about 1,400 are Americans.
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The State Department is expected to have about 5,000 security contractors in Iraq as of January 2012 (they already have about 3,000 in country).
Additionally they will have 4,500 so-called “general life support” contractors, who provide food and medical services, operate the aviation assets, etc.
In addition, the State Department will have airplanes and helicopters operated by contractors to move them around the country and for a rapid response in the event the staff need to evacuate. Although no US troops troops will remain in Iraq, we will still be a rather large presence.
Sorry -- it looks as if the transition is in sight. US involvement in Iraq is far from over. Plans are for contractors (mercenaries) to sub for troops -- at greater cost and less accountability. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/obama-iraq-eternal/ And the new US Embassy under construction will be larger than Vatican City. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12319798/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/new-us-embassy-iraq-cloaked-mystery/#.TqIGiXLW76g
ReplyDeleteThe US imperial enterprise is too large, profitable, and entrenched to downsize voluntarily. It'll collapse when the center does, I fear.
PS. At least they'll stop calling it a war, which it never was. It was an occupation. What we name things is important.
ReplyDelete[WV: galew. As in "O frabjous day! (G)allooh! (G)allay!"? Some say the Jabberwock has been slain, I'm not sure.]
Murdoch, thanks. I found a more recent article that I will link to in an update. The information is essentially the same.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Murdoch actually - as far as I know the long-term plan is for the US to have an ongoing presence in Iraq, whether that's openly stated or not :(
ReplyDeleteContractors are paid about twice what a soldier is paid. A large chunk of our budget will still go toward maintaining our presence in Iraq. If being there helps to stabilize the country, I suppose I can't object. After all, we invaded Iraq.
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