The Legacy, Part Five

A building that collapsed during a battle is seen in Falluja city, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad December 5, 2011. As U.S. forces pull out of Iraq, residents and officials in Falluja say they leave behind bullet-riddled homes, destroyed infrastructure and a worrying increase in birth defects and maladies in a city polluted by weapons and war chemicals.  Picture taken December 5, 2011. 

REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal 

 

US exit from Iraq:'this is not a withdrawal, this is an act on a stage'

Iraqi casualties are far higher, with civilian deaths well over 100,000, many more maimed, and up to several million people displaced at the height of what became a vicious two-year sectarian war.

Despite two democratic elections, an estimated $62bn in US aid money, and the close diplomatic attention of the war's protagonists, Iraq is still grappling with a range of issues. Basic services remain poor, the political class unaccountable, a rule of law absent, and a government vulnerable to the whims of the region. There has been little progress on other touchstone issues, such as long simmering territorial disputes and national reconciliation.
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Another man, Mundhar Kamel, 65, said the departure changed little. "This move is them exiting from one door and entering from another," he said. "In the embassy they still have 15,000 people and there is talk about 3,000 more [military] trainers. This is not a withdrawal, this is an act on a stage.  We haven't gained anything from the country. They destroyed the country and now they are leaving."

Adham Abul Razzak, 30, saw hope in the withdrawal. "I am very happy because of this withdrawal," he said. "I wish that this step would be the first towards unifying Iraqis and expelling sectarianism.  The effect of the occupation is still with us because of the relations between the two sides and the presence of such a large embassy. I don't think there will be violence after the withdrawal – the opposite, in fact. But only if the neighbouring countries do not interfere in our business."

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This article makes a totally ludicrous statement: 

“There are many here who had grown accustomed to the safety net of US forces”

The US forces never brought safety to anyone, including Americans.  They bring the democracy of death and the freedom of the grave.

The death toll for Iraqis is hundreds of thousands, maybe over a million.  Refugees, both internally and in foreign countries, number in the millions.  The number of widows and orphans number in the millions.  And the number of injured, both physically and psychologically, number in the tens of millions.