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It is time to go. The armed forces of the US should leave Iraq immediately, Their presence is no longer beneficial. More than four years after "shock and awe", Iraq is shocked and awed by the destruction and carnage that is taking place on a daily basis.
The occupation has failed to bring security or even the hope of some future for the country. Iraq, as we know it, is disintegrating into ethnic enclaves of hatred and bitterness that the US seems unable to control. Indeed, in much of Iraq, a US military presence is missing.
Even with the surge, its troops are not present on the streets, are not patrolling neighbourhoods and are not building community goodwill. The levels of violence are testament to the fact that the surge did not work.
The US administration had been looking for respite after the full deployment of an extra 30,000 troops ordered to Iraq by President George W. Bush in January. US Defence Department statistics for May showed that there were 6,039 violent incidents, the highest since November 2004.
But if the Americans left, surely even more chaos would ensue. It depends on what replaces them. If the Americans leave like they did from Vietnam, a helter-skelter evacuation from rooftops, that would serve no purpose.
But if they were replaced by the United Nations working with Arab and regional organisations there would be a good chance of success. There are no guarantees here, but we know that the US military presence is just not working.
It is ridiculous to continue with a failed policy. It is time for the Iraqis to govern themselves without the presence of foreign troops on their soil. It is important to remember that the invasion in 2003 was carried out in the name of the Iraqi people. In their name, withdrawal should now commence.
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