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The Forum > Article Comments > Domestic politics shape Australian foreign policy > Comments

Domestic politics shape Australian foreign policy : Comments

By Bruce Haigh, published 22/8/2007

Howard is planning to pull the bulk of Australian troops out of Iraq over the next six months beginning the month in the run up to the election.

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Plantagenet

You said “ The failures are due to failed strategy not a failure to adhere to a correct strategy.” What?

For the first time in Iraq the coherent Clear Hold and Build strategy is being implemented. Recent reports from Iraq have been guardedly optimistic on the results of this change in policy. In some places Iraqi insurgents have assisted the coalition in fighting Al Qaeda.

For anyone not familiar with clear, hold and build I would highly recommend Bing Wests “ The Village” which is the story of a combined action platoon in Vietnam. It is non-political and has nothing to say about the morality or otherwise of that conflict. It does, however, document the highly successful Combined Action Platoons, which were composed of 15 Marines and about 30 Vietnamese villagers.

The current calls to stay the course aren’t blind calls to patriotism.

1. More time should be given to Petraeus if he reports that Clear Hold and Build is working.
2. Failure in Iraq emboldens more than just the insurgents in Iraq. It would be a setback that might be insurmountable in Afghanistan, where insurgents could rightly assume that there is a time limit on coalition involvement there. It also encourages other enemies of the West to implement their vile policies, safe in the knowledge that the US/coalition now has very limited resolve. Ie we are weak.
3. If we can win in Iraq we owe it to the people of Iraq to do so.
4. Victory in Iraq would be a massive blow to Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

I agree that 3 autonomous states within an Iraqi federation might be a possible solution. The danger in this is that the balkanisation process might just bring more Balkan’s like trouble.

I don’t believe that this type of policy could be implemented in the absence of coalition forces
Posted by Paul.L, Wednesday, 29 August 2007 6:28:41 PM
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Paul L.

Probably better to agree to disagree for the moment.

I suggest we see General Petraeus' report (on Iraq) later this month and see how Bush reponds.

Hopefully there'll be an OLO article about it as a fresh vehicle for discussion.

Regards

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Friday, 31 August 2007 10:38:17 AM
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