General disorder!

It's always refreshing when our Establishment speak forth with a degree of veracity. General Sir Richard Dannatt's comments this week that British troops are exacerbating the problem, cuts through the hubristic face saving rhetoric that has drizzled out over the last 3 years from Number 10, MOD or any other participant in the war. It's hard to not feel immensely sorry for the soldiers out there; maybe they should re-introduce national service, but only for politicians so that they know the full implications of their decisions. I think the General's comments on outstaying our welcome are particularly sharp: "We are in a Muslim country and Muslims' views of foreigners in their country are quite clear." I don't actually believe it, but it is hard not to think that there has been no Muslim input into government policy on Iraq from day 1. The contrast between our aims and how we are perceived is pretty startling.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1921450,00.html

It seems that where we are now is not too dissimilar to post WWII and the painful process of decolonisation. Just as the British left India and Palestine, only for wars to erupt, we are at the same threshold. Withdrawal without proper security in tact could lead to full blown civil war, genocide and regional conflict. But Iraq is now a sovereign state and at some point they are going to have to resolve their own issues regardless of how difficult this may be. Those are the two sides of it, it isn't going to be pretty either way.