‘There is no reason why America’s withdrawal from Iraq should be as dishonest as its intervention has been judged to be.’—Brendan O’Leary, from the Preface
Both the American people and Arab Iraqis have voiced their overwhelming desire to see U.S. troops removed from the country. How to Get Out of Iraq with Integrity argues that the U.S. military intervention in Iraq must come to an end. But it must come to an end in a judicious, pragmatic, and orderly fashion. In this book, Brendan O’Leary spells out why that withdrawal can begin to occur now, why it is in the best interests of the United States and the Iraqis that withdrawal occur, and why Iraq can function as a federation once the U.S. military has left the country.
How to Get Out of Iraq with Integrity provides an in-depth analysis of the new Iraqi constitution, an evaluation of the political goals and powers of the major ethnic and religious groups that will constitute the new Iraqi state, and an assessment of the regional realities of a Saddam-less Iraq. With a viable constitution and other institutional structures already in place, Iraq is poised for a future as a sovereign state. If U.S. leaders facilitate the remaking of Iraq as a federation with four or more regions instead of a recentralized state, the United States can begin successfully to remove its forces.
Propelled by this incisive and bold argument, How to Get Out of Iraq with Integrity provides the foundation for the incoming presidential administration to do just that, without betraying U.S. commitments to Arabs, Kurds, or democracy. To make his case, O’Leary draws on his extensive background as constitutional advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government, the European Union, and the United Nations, along with expertise in constitutional design and ethnic reconciliation in Northern Ireland and South Africa.
Cuprins
Preface
PART I. EVALUATING THE U.S.-LED INTERVENTION IN IRAQ
Chapter 1. The Bush Administration’s Formal Goals
Chapter 2. Bipartisan Congressional Goals for Iraq
Chapter 3. The Imputed Goals of the Bush Administration
PART II. THE CASE FOR A SUBSTANTIVE WITHDRAWAL
Chapter 4. Costs, Sunk Costs, and Potential Benefits
Chapter 5. Securing the Iraqi Federation for All Its Peoples
PART III. LEAVING WITH INTEGRITY
Chapter 6. Respecting Iraq’s Constitutional Integrity
Chapter 7. Respecting Iraq’s Territorial Integrity
Chapter 8. Informing, Calming, and Working with the Neighbors.
Chapter 9. Cleaning Up Without Ruling
Appendices
1. On Difficulties in Counting Deaths in Iraq
2. Xenophobia, Sexism, In-Group Solidarity, Traditional Religiosity, and Democratic Dispositions in Iraq
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments and Sources
Despre autor
Brendan O’Leary is Lauder Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program in Ethnic Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written or edited fifteen books, including Terror, Insurgency, and the State: Ending Protracted Conflicts and The Future of Kurdistan in Iraq, both also available from University of Pennsylvania Press.