The Analyst Blog

**UPDATE**: On the Welfare Affects Argument for Leaving Iraq (Eventually)

The LA Times reports that top U.S. Generals have also put forward the Welfare Affects Argument and suggested reducing the military's footprint in Iraq in recent meetings with Congress:

During a trip to Washington, the generals said the presence of U.S. forces was fueling the insurgency, fostering an undesirable dependency on American troops among the nascent Iraqi armed forces and energizing terrorists across the Middle East.

For all these reasons, they said, a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops was imperative.

John P. Abizaid, who supervises all U.S. troops in the region, said the broader fight against Islamic extremism required the United States to "reduce our military footprint" across the region and push governments in the Middle East to fight the extremists themselves.

"This is about dependency," he said.

The advisor said that U.S. commanders were concerned that Iraqi troops could become too dependent on the American presence, but that there were no plans for a hasty pullout from the violent provinces before the Iraqis were up to the task."There's a line between what constitutes casual dependence and what constitutes not being ready to fight," he said.

posted by The Analyst @ 6:18 PM