CNN’s Ware: Long-Term U.S. Presence In Iraq ‘Could Actually Ferment Further Resentment Towards’ The U.S.
CNN’s Ware: Long-Term U.S. Presence In Iraq ‘Could Actually Ferment Further Resentment Towards’ The U.S.
In a speech last week at George Washington University, former Bush adviser Karl Rove asserted that a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq would positively provide “the projection of American power to maintain stability in a dangerous and difficult part of the world.” In a Washington Post op-ed on the same day, columnist Charles Krauthammer echoed Rove’s point, claiming that “maintaining a U.S. military presence in Iraq would provide regional stability.”
But CNN reporter Michael Ware, who has reported from Iraq since before the U.S. invasion in 2003, disagrees. In an interview yesterday, Ware told ThinkProgress that “there will be very much mixed reaction in Iraq” to a long-term troop presence, but he added, “what’s the point and will it be worth it?’
“A limited American capability” stationed in the country would be exposed, said Ware, “to a whole host of dangers” and “could actually ferment further resentment towards the United States”:
A deeper question, however, is: what would be the point? Why keep say, just one division of combat troops in Iraq? You think that would intimidate Iran? Do you think that would prevent Syria from manipulating Iraqi affairs when 160,000 American troops aren’t able to stop that kind of interference? [...] The fact that just such a limited American capability in that country, being stationed there, could actually ferment further resentment towards the United States because such a limited force structure would not be able to actually do anything if a civil war broke out.
Watch it:
Ware added that while “many people could live with” a troop presence “if America stays out of Iraqis business, others will resent their mere presence for the blame that they cast upon America.”
In the same interview, Ware also dispelled the notion — promulgated by AEI’s Frederick Kagan — that sectarian cleansing in Baghdad is a “myth“:
If anyone is telling you that the cleansing of Baghdad has not contributed to the fall in violence, then they either simply do not understand Baghdad or they are lying to you.
For more of Ware’s comments about Iraq, visit the Wonk Room.
Transcript:
WARE: In terms of just hosting U.S. bases, America maintaining more or less a token presence or just a strategic presence. I mean, even if you have one or two divisions that remain in Iraq, they stay garrisoned in camps, in no way do they impact upon the political framework of Iraq or domestic affairs. Many people could live with that if America stays out of Iraqis business, others will resent their mere presence for the blame that they cast upon America, for the nightmare that they see that the United States has brought to their country. A deeper question, however, is: what would be the point? Why keep say, just one division of combat troops in Iraq? You think that would intimidate Iran? Do you think that would prevent Syria from manipulating Iraqi affairs when 160,000 American troops aren’t able to stop that kind of interference? So, it would be a token presence, obviously. What would be the message of that token? What would be the point of it? And don’t forget, that will expose whatever troops you have there to a whole host of dangers. They will be a sitting target. So that’s a decision that America must make in a very measured way. Even divorced from Iraqi reaction, you have to ask yourself: what’s the point and will it be worth it? But there will be very much mixed reaction in Iraq and the fact that just such a limited American capability in that country, being stationed there, could actually ferment further resentment towards the United States because such a limited force structure would not be able to actually do anything if a civil war broke out, if massacres were taking place, if the blood was literally rushing up against the razor wire of these American garrisons, they wouldn’t be able to prevent it. They wouldn’t be able to go outside. They wouldn’t have the power and the force to actually affect change. So, at the only time when people may turn to them for help, these troops would be unable to deliver on that hope. So, a permanent presence for American troops is something that must be weighed very carefully.
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I M P E A C H !
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 pmWare: A deeper question, however, is: what would be the point?
Democracy? Nope. One word: oil.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 pmMICHAEL WARE SHOULD BE RUNNING CNN……
WHAT A SAD STATEMENT IT IS FOR AMERIKKKA WHEN WOLD BLITZER IS THE PERPETUAL IDIOT DU JOUR
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:44 pmOh Jebus. Evidently, KKKarl and KKKristol are *still* laboring under the incredible delusion that all those bullets, mortar rounds and IED’s are going to transform into flowers at any moment.
*eyeroll*
As George Carlin once said, “Must be good sh*t.”
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 pmKarl Rove’s military experience ends at his Kung Foo Grip GI Joe. That milktoast toad wouldn’t get thru basic training. Wake up America.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 pmhellinabucket Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Karl Rove’s military experience ends at his Kung Foo Grip GI Joe. That milktoast toad wouldn’t get thru basic training. Wake up America.
Exactly! All the warmongers who brought us to this place, never had the guts and loyalty to this country to wear a uniform. Very, very few of Bush’s ‘advisors’ ever went near a recruiting station. How is that a group of ‘military wannabes’ started the most useless and destructive war – based on lies – and nobody is asking them about it.
Then we have a CIA chief who doesn’t seem to get the idea that we don’t want a uniformed CIA chief. If you are a CIA chief – TAKE OFF THE UNIFORM! Or if you want to play ‘army man’ resign your CIA appointment. We do not respect nazi, facist uber-government leaders.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:54 pmWare hits it right on the head. What’s the fu(king point?
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:55 pmTESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE ON IRAQ
By William E. Odom, LT General, USA, Ret.
2 April 2008
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/32419
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
“The fact that just such a limited American capability in that country, being stationed there, could actually ferment further resentment towards the United States because such a limited force structure would not be able to actually do anything if a civil war broke out.”
This is true. A single division could not make the difference and may well be worse than useless.
If we want to maintain the ability to prevent Civil War without ground troops, we need to continue building a professional Iraqi Army loyal to a secular constitutional government and maintain sufficient airpower either in country or in Gulf States willing to let us launch sorties into Iraq so if Al Sadr or anyone else tries to take over large swaths of territory we can act as Iraq’s airforce.
If Obama wins, I think that he will do something very like this based on his comments.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:58 pmAnd the masses are subjected to the lies of the neocon PNACers who are given pretty much any platform they want while those who care to determine truth have to look to blogs – have to WANT to look.
The disgust is dripping from my pores.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:00 pmNo shit Mr. Ware. What I find exasperating about Ware’s is that while he remains hawkish, he also tends towards unvarnished reporting. Could he be on the verge of an epiphany or will Ware continue his yo-yo act on this war?
Stay tuned…
-AF
Andrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:04 pmI guess he doesnt have Kkkarl’s “maths”
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pmI think Ware is pretty good at dispelling right wing myths on Iraq. I thought he was going to blow a blood vessel after McCain’s comments about strolling through neighborhoods in Baghdad. He is the straightest shooter CNN has by far.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:15 pmI always picture Ware getting drunk in his hotel room at night, ala Martin Sheen at the beginning of Apacolpyse Now.
Should the U.S. maintain some Presence in Iraq or completely withdrawal?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=2029
.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:17 pmCNN’s Ware: Long-Term U.S. Presence In Iraq ‘Could Actually Ferment Further Resentment Towards’ The U.S.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:19 pmWell DAH….
Does anyone really think the Iraqi people are going to get over the fact we, the US, are ultimately responsible for the carnage, mayhem, murder, rape, torture and ruination of their way of life? And those who believe the Iraqi people can be that stupid to over look this horrific deed we have done and accept long term occupation are racist.
Long-Term U.S. Presence In Iraq ‘Could Actually Ferment Further Resentment Towards’ The U.S.
In other news, bear shits in woods. Also, Pope is found to be Catholic.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:19 pmI think that Karl Rove truly believes that he can change reality, not just temporarily, but permanently, by repeating the same outrageous lies over and over.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:24 pmWho cares what Michael Ware has to say about Iraq?
Has HE been on the front lines of Washington think tanks?
I think not.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:27 pmIt’s good to remember that when you talk about 160,000 troops, you’re also talking about an equal number of “contractors.”
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pmYep, we’re not failing with 160,000, we’re failing with 300,000!
But…but…the surge, what about the surge????
Repukes refuse reality that they don’t like.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm“A limited American capability… could actually ferment further resentment towards the United States”
And what’s more, the Pope might possibly be an adherent of Catholicism. And jumping off tall cliffs could cause injury.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:43 pmMichael Ware is a cia stooge…
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm> If the Iraqi people truly become free they
> will love us forever!
Truly Free?
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 pmAre the palestenians who elected a government you’d label as “terrorists” truly free?
ralph the wonder llama Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Who cares what Michael Ware has to say about Iraq?
Has HE been on the front lines of Washington think tanks?
I think not.
Heh. Probably hasn’t been campaigning for Mittens, either.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:05 pmHI Freakaloin
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:05 pmu looking for a date ralph?…
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:08 pmWare may be the only honest cable news reporter we have in Iraq. Balls as big as church bells.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:08 pmWare is an extraordinarily good journalist.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:10 pmWare is one of the few journalists I trust.
He’s never danced with Karl Rove.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pmNo, but thanks for the offer. I presume you’ll be working the Republican convention, right? I hear that’s the Super Bowl for prostitutes.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pmWhat stability does Rove expect to maintain in the Middle East? Somebody needs to remind these clowns that “victory” is neither a strategy nor a tactic.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm…launch sorties into Iraq so if Al Sadr or anyone else tries to take over large swaths of territory we can act as Iraq’s airforce.
What if al Sadr takes over large swaths of Territory with PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS??
Cheney set the ball in motion, by insisting that Iraq hold provincial elections next October. This was to appease our New Allies, the former insurgent Sunnis….but if al Sadr is as popular as has been reported, this may all Backfire. Al Sadr wants us OUT OF IRAQ.
And WHO thinks Iraqis will, forget Abu Gharaib?? If it was Americans at the end of a dog leash…would we forgive and forget???
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pmShort version: an occupying force acting above the law will lead to resentment of the local population. Well, DUH!
OTOH, continued USA occupation of Iraq will lead to a global shortage of rose petals as the local population continues to throw rose petals under the feet of our troops.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:29 pmMichael Ware is a JOURNALIST something those here have forgotten how to do. Gregory and the rest like him can’t touch the shoes of a Michael Ware.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:30 pmpaleolib Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
What stability does Rove expect to maintain in the Middle East? Somebody needs to remind these clowns that “victory” is neither a strategy nor a tactic.
____
But it’s such a good talking point!
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:40 pmThe word is foment, but is this a TP translation of what they thought the Aussie Ware said, or did he “misspeak?”
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:50 pmYeah, but last week he was on Bill Maher’s show saying no matter what the Democrat are telling you, America can’t just pull out of Iraq.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:51 pmI think Ware means pull back to the border and not be such a presence in the cities. We do not need 130,000 there. It is time for the Iraqis to pull their own weight. Our presence in many countries allows the country to not spend on an army. I for one, am sick of my money defending other countries.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:55 pmralph…i’m a progressive atheist…so no…
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:55 pmThis guy is no talking head. Ware has been on the ground and he knows his stuff.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:58 pmbtw…ware is always perpetuating the al-qaida myth…
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:58 pmMy apologies, Freakaloin, The way you came on to me, it was like you thought I was Eliot Spitzer or something.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:01 pmfrom swimming freestyle:
“The U.S., up to this point, has viewed Iraq through a prism of it’s own objectives, ignoring an Iraqi perspective: When will our involvement end? How do we define “victory”? It would not be in U.S. strategic interests to set withdrawal dates. Should we have a long term presence in Iraq? How do we stem Iranian influence in Iraq?
Following next week’s march, the Bush Administration could find itself caught between it’s own high minded proclamations about the Iraqi people’s quest for democracy and an unmistakable expression of Iraqi democracy: an Iraqi call for U.S. forces to get out of Iraq.”
http://swimmingfreestyle.typepad.com
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 pmWare is certainly correct in his assessment. Independent journalist Nir Rosen, who has spent much time in the region, has been saying essentially the same thing, by pointing out that if the U.S. were to finally leave Iraq, the resistance fighters would logically have nothing to resist against. Someone in Obama’s crack staff may want to alert the senator of these statements, since the agent of hope and change has said that if he were to become president, he would keep “some troops” in the region even after his phased [not immediate] withdrawal of troops from Iraq takes place. What Obama has not said is that some troops amounts to leaving as many as 40,000 to 60,000 American forces in the area of Iraq. Obama has also said that he wishes the civilian contractors to also remain in Iraq. As Ware and Rosen have indicated, if that were to occur, resentment that would be felt by the Iraqis against the Americans would still be [justifiably] quite high.
Obama’s claim of being an agent of hope and change is more like that of an agent of the status quo. Leaving troops in Iraq and/or the region is never going to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.
What are the chances that one will see signs at the Democratic and Republican conventions which proclaim:
SUPPORT THE TROOPS BRING THEM HOME-ALL OF THEM-NOW
Five will get you ten that seeing those anti-war signs at those conventions will be a rare sight indeed.
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:15 pmThere has NEVER been a country or society that has excepted an occupation , the word U.S. media either refuses to say or assert , in order to create the reality that U.S. foreign policy wishes to project .
April 4th, 2008 at 2:46 amThe Iraqis have been invaded by the Mongols , the Turks , Persians , the British and now U.S. imperialism and they knew by the U K’s blood occupation ( google Churchill / Mesopotamia )they will never except being occupied by foreigners , especially when they know, busH is there to LOOT , their country .
# 36 Uosdwis Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Actually Uosdwis both words are appropriate:
Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ferment
1. be in an agitated or excited state; “The Middle East is fermenting”; “Her mind ferments”
April 4th, 2008 at 2:59 am2. work up into agitation or excitement; “Islam is fermenting Africa”
Thats why we will bomb Iran. Iran will shoot off some missiles, and we can wipe out Basra and other hot spots and blame it on Iran. Basra operations recently were to test how much resistance there was. Too much. It will be bombs away soon. They will not leave Iraq, they could care less about resentment or some American casualties. Like Cheney said, they volunteered (meaning they are expendable). The Iraqi occupation will continue, and will look very much like the Israeli occupation. We occupied the Philippines for many years after butchering over 200,000 of the resistance, and those were the days before we had missiles, jets, helicopters and tanks. Just horses, rifles and cannon. And they didnt even have oil. Lots of oil in Iraq. We ain’t going nowhere, and any future President who tries to pull out will, well, you know, think JFK. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:12 amAny American with a loved one in the military, or any humane American simply opposed to this evil war-for-profit being waged by corporate sociopaths, who looks soulfully toward the sainted Michael Ware for “an assessment of how things really are” is a God damn sucker.
Ware is a non-American scud stud to whom our exhausted troops mean NOTHING. His last word on the matter is STILL what it always was: “America, you cannot leave Iraq.” He’s softly saying we mustn’t even THINK about cutting back to just a few support columns any time in the future. That’s what Ware in the video is saying, kids. He’s saying what he’s been saying all along.
To hell with you, Michael Ware from Perth, Australia. I only wish I could respond to you, but there you are, always on my TV, far removed from lowly American comebacks, getting the ultimate Free Ride From the Press.
Michael Ware is hand-in-glove with Dick Cheney. He is hand-in-glove with John “100 years” McCain. I hate the guy, and wish very much that I could tell him so, and discuss all this with him, right up close, in person. But no one ever gets to do that.
BTW, he is no enemy of the Right. They quote him incessantly in their blogs. He exists as their “proof” that they are right. He is the chicken hawks’ special pair of celebrity/adventurer/blood-and-guts Real Dude “boots on the ground.” Everyone knows Michael Ware is an authority. And Michael Ware says, we need to stay. “Stay” as in forever.
For Michael Ware, an arrogant, despicable America broke Iraq, and can by-God fix it, or die trying, to the last American troop. He could not care less about the troops. Do you think he cares about that?
You oughta be horse-whipped, Michael. And the same with anyone who likes you cuz you’re “cool” and believes you are any kind of a “badass.” How ridiculous!
Please, people, get the stars out of your eyes as regards Michael Ware. Stop with the auto-responses to his phony, theatrical, (and always the SAME) unshaven, sweaty, presumably “tired” face and broken nose on your TV.
He LOOKS like one of US. He ISN’T one of us, he is one of them.
Will you try to listen to what he’s saying, please? Michael Ware is a GDMF DECIDER! And not only getting away with it…but being lauded every G damn day!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:58 pmWARE:”I’m sorry. America broke this country and, for better or for worse, it’s going to have to figure out how to sticky-tape it back together, at least long enough for the world to breathe, Bill. [applause]”
WOW. A decider! Can I be one?
April 8th, 2008 at 6:10 pm“He is the straightest shooter CNN has by far.
I always picture Ware getting drunk in his hotel room at night, ala Martin Sheen at the beginning of Apacolpyse Now.”
Exactly what he’s going for, studly hero right out of a movie, and it sure worked on you. The line between reality and fiction is just that blurred.
It’s all just a movie. A video game, really.
Don’t feel bad, it’s working on nearly everybody. Michael Ware says what Bushco wants said, and yet manages to make you all believe he is coming from a good, honest place, even as he gleefully pronounces the very death sentence we hate and rage against when it comes from the mouths of neo-cons. It’s amazing!
(expletive deleted; sorry, new place for me)
April 9th, 2008 at 2:19 amThis is true. A single division could not make the difference and may well be worse than useless.
If we want to maintain the ability to prevent Civil War without ground troops, we need to continue building a professional Iraqi Army loyal to a secular constitutional government and maintain sufficient airpower either in country or in Gulf States willing to let us launch toshiba pa3431u battery,toshiba satellite m60 battery sorties into Iraq so if Al Sadr or anyone else tries to take over large swaths of territory we can act as Iraq’s airforce.
If Obama wins, I think that he will do something very like this based on his comments.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:22 am