By Jessica Hopper
Rock Center
When U.S. military forces finish their withdrawal from Iraq at the end of December, thousands of Americans will remain in the country carrying out a diplomatic mission aimed in part at curbing the influence of Iran on its neighbor.
“Cumulatively looking at both the Iranian interests and the Iranian influenced groups, the threat which they pose to this installation and to the U.S. interest in Iraq is clear,” said Consul General Piper Campbell.
Campbell is one of over a thousand people who will remain at the consulate in Basra after the military withdrawal. The U.S. consulate in Basra is strategically located at the center of Iraq’s economic wealth: its oil fields. It’s also just miles from Iraq’s border with Iran.
“There’s a real recognition that I hear from many people here of Iran watching, of Iran looking at what’s going on here, of Iran looking for opportunities to influence both here in the Shia south, but throughout Iraq,” Campbell said.
The influence of Iran in the southern region of Iraq is clear. Most of the rocket attacks on the U.S. consulate in Basra are done by local Iraqis using weapons smuggled across the border from Iran.
Campbell said that Iraq’s control and protection of its oil fields from Iranian influence is key to both its economic and political stability. She said that what happens with Iraqi oil is of genuine interest to the United States.
“It’s easy to understand why oil is important to Iraq. It’s their major commodity, it’s the driver of their economy,” Campbell said. “Having a stable and thriving Iraq is important for this neighborhood, but having an Iraq that is a major oil producer is also important for the international economy and that includes the United States.”
Jim Jeffrey, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, said that American interest in Iraqi oil relates to several other key American and global interests in the region, including the threat of Iran’s nuclear program.
“Oil wealth…too often in this region has been used to finance armies that march across borders and to finance weapons of mass destruction and to allow dictators to stay in power and has indirectly led to the creation of terrorist movements,” Jeffrey said. “I would be at pains to select any one single element that would affect American people more than any other. Obviously, oil prices are very important, but as we saw on Sept. 11, the terrorist threat from this region is also important for America.”
The U.S. Navy has been training Iraqi sailors how to use patrol ships and swift boats donated to Iraq by the U.S. government.
“These are patrol ships and the basics are protection of the Iraqi critical oil infrastructure in the territorial water,” Rear Admiral Kelvin Dixon said. “The Iraqis are concerned about the Iranians and the Iranian influence.”
Dixon oversees the training of Iraqi naval forces in the southern port city of Umm Qasr. Dixon said that rocket attacks could incapacitate the port, but that U.S. military forces would be a call away to help Iraqis. The question is will the Iraqis call.
Canon Andrew White is the pastor of St. George’s Anglican Church in Iraq which has the largest congregation of Christians in Iraq. White has lived in Iraq both under Saddam Hussein’s regime and throughout the war.
“One of the things that we have to look at again is the influence of religion. Iran is the other major Shia country and so the Shiite influence is very considerable,” White said.
White said that Iran influences Iraq more than the United States.
“The fact is that Iraq now is terrible and it’s impossible to have hope for the future of Iraq,” White said.
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The paranoia about Iran is totally unjustified. Iran is a neighbor of Iraq and has lots of trade with it. But, Iran is not intent on taking over Iraq. What, do they need Iraq's oil or its crazy Sunnis or Baathists? The main concern is that the US will not be able to dominate Iraq which it did as an occupier.
While the US military is leaving, it is the height of arrogance to plan to keep 15,000 to 20,000 civilian personnel and mercenaries in Iraq. These mercenaries will surely become a source of great controversy and friction with Iraq. It is a roundabout way of continuing the domination of Iraq. The Sadrists are definitely against it and it won't be surprising if violence erupts against these mercenaries. When they react, the situation will get even worse. Thus, the US is simply creating a can of worms by trying to keep such a large footprint in Iraq.
Iran is a threat, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped by whatever means necessary.
Leave this Country now idiot! Iran is the Country we should have giver a swift kick in the ass to!
Yes and dumb Bush instead invaded Iraq on a pile of lies ruined the US economy had over 4400 American soldiers sacrifice their lives so that pro Iran Al-Maliki with the help of Muqtada Al-Sadar bloc can be the Prime minister of Iraq.
Dick Cheney has come back out because of Oil. Halliburton has been doing business with Iran and like Iraq, Cheney wants the US to invade. Americans now know the Iraq invasion had nothing to do with WMD's/Mushroom Cloud/Iraq Freedom, it's always been about control of Iraq oil fields. The US President ordered no US Company could do business with the Axis of Evil countries he listed as US enemies. Halliburton with it's CEO turned VP continued to do busy with these countries. We watched thousands of American oil workers fee Libya and even see thousands of Americans working for US Oil companies in Iran. As the spin and push for President Obama to illegally invade Iran for Oil companies and Israel, don't expect that to happen while he's President. Once we get a new Republican President, we can expect that Iran invasion and Dick Cheney can get an office in the White House again. Little by little the truth is coming out about what had been going on behind closed doors from 2000 to 2008. The 9/11 attack was a smoke screen for the invasion of Iraq and Bush knew Osama Bin Laden wasn't in a cave when he closed the search for him. Deals were made and kept while the US Law Makers almost bankrupt the USA. Without an intelligent honest responsible President who works for the American people an best interest of our Military soldiers we might as well have Bush/Cheney back in office to finish off the job.
So you are trying to say Obama is less of a war machine puppet? We should not have gotten involved in Libya while debating how to keep the government running at home because we are broke, but hey no problem finding war money! Well hey at least we are finally leaving Iraq but why are we paying 17,000 Private contractors to do the militarys job now? The fact ogf the matter is by attacking Iraq we have hended the country to their enemy Iran on a silver platter and the region will be worse off for it. Iraq was the only thing keeping Iran in check. And wasn't the war in Afghanistan about getting Bin laden? Why are we still there wasting BILLIONS?
No my freind Obama is just another war monger continuing Bush plolicies. Ron Paul is the only one serious about stopping this insanity.
Sure, oil is very cheap now because we invaded Iraq, huh?
Sheesh.
Amen Jackierawlings & Quinterius. There are a few of us who don't have short memories and are paying attention.
Not quite see post#6.1
Quinterius,
Is correct, "15,000 to 20,000 civilian personnel and mercenaries in Iraq", but left out the US Military attached to the US Department of State, the US Embassy Staff at the Billion USD US Embassy is about a 1,000 the rest are US Military (like my younger US Military Officer Brother In Law), 15,000 (of 16,000 - 1,000). There is a reason why the US Embassy Compound is so large.
jackierawlings,
There are about 3,000 US Contractors that employ many US Civilians and make more money than Halliburton, KBR, and Xe. The worse Contractors are not even US, they are the little known "Foreign Security Contractors" as hired by the US Department of State (Diplomatic Immunity) and the US Agencies.
Military brass provide MSM reporters the "party line" that they're leaving Iraq better off than under Saddam. However, the video shows enormous piles of machinery, concrete bunkers, cheap wooden barracks, etc. left behind. The millions of dollars invested is left as waste. Apparently our military brass doesn't believe in cleaning up after itself as it leaves the country. . . or is the Pentagon spending millions more hiring Haliburton/KBR to clean it up? The way the GOP twisted itself into a pretzel the past 30 years would make Pres. Eisenhower believe Sen. McCarthy finally took over his beloved Army.
Not up to the US Military, months ago most of everything was already switched over to the control of the US Department of State. With the remaining US Military (providing protection to the US Embassy from sniper, mortar and rocket attacks with Combat Patrols) treated like red headed b*stard step children.
I know I should not laugh at my younger Brother In Law at Iraq, doing the Combat Patrols attached to the US Department of State; but, I told him NEVER get involved with us, as you will get stuck with this kind of situation (don't know when you will finally leave some place).
President Eisenhower was a hypocrite he hated the US Military. This is why after he became US President he chopped the US Military Defense Budget so much, that there was almost a Depression (Unemployed millions of US Civilians). Fortunately, for him the "Korean Conflict" (War) occurred, unfortunately for Task Force Smith, President Eisenhower's US Military Defense Budget Cuts made it so that they did not have enough Anti Tank Ammunition and Task Force Smith got massacred, thanks to President Eisenhower. If it were not for the US Military Defense Industrial Complex created by President FDR that got the US out of the Great Depression, 1939, before US Entry into WWII, 1941; President Eisenhower would never have been a Famous General then President, as he with everyone else would have been starving to death during the Global Great Depression (what most Worldwide were doing, the new US Military Recruits were so thin (emaciated) that the US War Department instituted a "Fattening Up Program".).
Millions of dollars worth of equipment was also left in Viet Nam when the US left. We should charge Iraq for every piece of equipment left. No Americans should remain behind in Iraq because more than likely they will be killed. Every American should come home, and if they choose not to, then they are on their own, with no help from the US should they be kidnapped or captured.
Welcome to the future land of IraShia---the merging of Iran and Iraq as desired by Iran thousands of years ago. Thanks to an idiot we call Bush.
Written Proof: US LAWS (with US Congressional Appropriations), it is NOT the US President's Job to create US Laws, that is the job of US Congress, it is also the Job of US Congress to find the money to fund the US Laws US Congress Creates. IT IS NOT THE US PRESIDENT'S JOB TO DECIDE WHICH US LAWS TO ENFORCE:
US LAW, H.R.4655 "Iraqis Liberation Act of 1998" with US Congressional Appropriations, as demanded by President Clinton during his State of the Union Address to a joint Session of US Congress, 1998. Justification WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, Section 2 "Findings" of US Law H.R.4655 (scroll down to Section 2 "Findings"):
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1057063/posts
It was believed by President Clinton that Overthrowing President Hussein would "Liberate the Iraqis People". This is when we (US Military Asymmetric Warfare Teams) were sent into Iraq to buy hundreds of thousands of Shiites as assassins and insurgents to Overthrow President Hussein. After this failed, as they were turning each other in for rewards, and being apprehended, tried and executed as Traitors, with President Clinton stating, "Dictator Massacring His Own People".
After all the lesser means of US Law H.R.4655 "Iraqis Liberation Act of 1998" (money still being appropriated by US Congress, 1998 to 2011, the US Law does NOT go away until the US Law is Accomplished). US Congress uses the Final Option, the US Military, by DECLARING WAR WITH IRAQ, with US Law, 2002 Iraqi War Resolution with US Congressional Appropriations. The only valid excuse for a US President to NOT enforce a US Law, is if there is no money (US Congressional Appropriations).
US Declaration of War With Iraq, 2002 Iraqi War Resolution:
http://uspolitics.about.com/od/wariniraq/a/jt_resolution.htm
READ PAGE FOUR ALL THOSE D D D D D D DD D DD D D D D D D D DDD DD D D ARE NOT R RR RR RR RR
Iraq should have never been invaded to begin with by George W. First of all, Afganastan was the target, and fairy tales such as Santa and Weapons of Mass Destruction are just that; fiction. This cost the US the respect it had long garnered from the rest of the world, and it will have military consequences far into the future. Once THE WAR begins, there's no telling how many innocent civilians will be additionally murdered, nor the state of the world filled with nuclear contamination. Are there 3 generations of humans left on the planet? Five? Ask Dick Cheney, the decision maker, for what he has done. (before he croaks). No matter.....there have been 5 major extinction events on the planet in the last 600 million years, the last being the Jurassic 65 million years ago. The 6th is now just around the corner.
President Clinton demanding to a joint session of US Congress the passage of H.R. 4655 "Iraqis Liberation Act of 1998", justification of Weapons of Mass Destruction:
The "threat" is not Iran and never has been.
The threat is the USA; with its lackeys, the UK etc; and its carefully disguised progress towards its ultimate goal of world domination... both material, political and military domination of the world.
The threat, thus, is clearly evident in far more countries than Iraq, or towards Iran...the US interference throughout the Mid East, Russia, the Indo Pak sub continent, et al. ...damn near everywhere, always with the same, seemingly plausable, freedom and democracy intent for these nations, and their USA-starved populations...
The world does NOT want to be dominated by the USA; and its lackeys; and the sooner the USA awakens to this reality and, so, desists from sticking its utterly selfish and self-serving, unwanted nose into other peoples' business...the better for the whole world it will most assuredly be!
Drat, and sorry, folk! I misspelled "plausible", above...corrected, now, afore the smarties jump on it!!
with the BS you're throwing up in yyour post, I do not believe anyone will care if you misspelled plausible or not. You're BS is not a plausible reason for us to care.
oh dratt! I misspelled yyour! just thought I'd note this before the smarties jumped in. that does not include WulfHATE of course
How pleasing it is....your disinterest is such that it still affords two postings for me...
Folk who are not prats simply 'ignore' stuff like mine, chuck...'Bye.
It is time for Iraq to stand for Iraq we should have learn from our past in Viet-Nam when a war or military conflict becomes unpopular and in a democary we need to let a young democary grow and go through the pains of freedom for America did, has and still working on our democary and preserving our freedoms
It's a good thing our Idiot policy makers thought it was a good idea to waste trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilian lives in the illegal invasion of Iraq instead of leaving Saddam in place in order to act as a regional counter balance to Iran.
If this story is even partially true, it represents a colossal intelligence failure:
you guys make me laugh, do you think we would fly our best kept secrets where an enemy can capture it??? just because it is shaped like a stealth fighter doesn't make it one. all it is is a gps enabled remote control airplane with cameras, any idiot could build one of these things. so sick of the war for oil crap these stories always turn into. if we went to iraq over oil why did we allow the chinesse and the russians to get all the leases for the oil???? geez if bush was all about oil at any cost I think he would have had a plan to actually get the oil. before you blame every republican for iraq lets not forget there would have never been an iraq or afghanastan if clinton had just pulled the trigger on osama when he had chance after chance.
Bush the republicans #1 hero. Thanks to him the US economy went from surplus to the great recession. 4,484 US soldiers killed in Iraq over 32,000 crippled, trillions spent and look who is the Iraqui prime minister: A Shia Muslim Al-Maliki who spent years in Iran. he controls the ministeries of defense and interior and has been rounding up the Sunni opposition in other words a defacto dictator who by the way was helped to reelection by no other than cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr voting bloc a known Iranian puppet with American blood on his hands.
Iraq's puppet regime is openly helping Syria beat sanctions and will surely help Iran with any future sanctions the USA and EU may impose. in other words Bush gave Iraq to Iran on a silver platter and has completely ruined any hope of bringing down the Islamic regime in Iran.