July 22nd, 2008 by Sarah

Matthew Yglesias at The American Prospect suggests that Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki’s  recent statement to Der Spiegel magazine reflects “the real post-surge shape of the political debate — a tug-o-war between the imperial fantasies of the American right, and the joint desire of the Iraqi and American people to end U.S. military involvement in Iraq.”  According to Yglesias, the 16-month schedule for U.S. withdrawal will buy the Iraq government continued U.S. military support while also asserting Iraqi sovereignty, and will help the U.S. end the war in Iraq on the best possible terms, while freeing up needed resources.

Kimberly Kagan at The Weekly Standard strongly disagrees. “The whole purpose of the surge was to transform the conflict over power in Iraq from a military to a political struggle. We and the Iraqis have accomplished that goal–for now. But the most critical period in the birth of a new Iraq lies ahead. America can stand beside this fractious and sometimes violent young state whose people are now passionate about democracy. Or we can abandon them to their enemies, to their own fears and insecurities, and to the fragility of their months-old efforts at real reconciliation. It is a weighty choice, but not a hard one for anyone who has seen the vision of a possible future Iraq.”

Abe Greenwald at Commentary Magazine’s Contentions is dismayed by al-Maliki’s decision to publicly broadcast his support for a 16-month time frame for withdrawal, but ultimately suggests that “if al-Maliki truly wants U.S. combat forces out in 16 months, then we should leave. If he’s right — and Iraq sees a continued reduction in violence and progress as a viable state in the absence of American troops — then that certifies a gargantuan victory for America in the Iraq War. If he’s wrong, the world pays an incalculable price for a bad decision.”

Much of the debate about troop withdrawal centers on what is seen as improvements in Iraqi stability, yet Patrick Cockburn at The Nation isn’t so confident. “Nobody here knows whether this rebirth of the Iraqi state machine is a mirage.” On the whole, however, Cockburn concludes that there is no better gift to the Iraqi government than a timetable for withdrawal: “So long as the US occupation continues, the Iraqi government will be deemed illegitimate by its own people.”

For more opinions on withdrawal, check out the debate at Dissent Magazine, with Michael Walzer, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Sohail Hashmi, Gerard Power , and Trudy Rubin.

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