Argumentation and persuasion strategies

Withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq

More than six (6) years after the United States government (under the Bush administration) launched the "shock and awe" military attack against Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein and his military, the U.S. have begun withdrawing its troops last June of this year to make way for the establishment of a new Iraqi government. This military action against Hussein has evolved to more than just an offensive attack against his dictatorship, and eventually became a long-term goal towards setting the foundation for Iraq's political rehabilitation.

The Obama administration's initiative to pull out U.S. troops in Iraq bring into fore two important arguments for and against this initiative. The first argument is that the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq is an initiative that is supported domestically, and it actually echoes public opinion regarding U.S. intervention in Iraq. The second argument, meanwhile, contends that U.S. troops are still needed to maintain the security that Iraq has gained over the years. For some, the time is not ripe enough for Iraq to be truly free from U.S. intervention, let alone take on civil disturbances and conflicts stemming from ethno-political differences. Ultimately, however, this paper argues that the withdrawal of U.S. troops will be beneficial for Iraq in the long-term, as a means to assert Iraqis' authority over their country, and manage conflicts on their own, with minor supervision or advice from the U.S.

From a Gallup special report on current issues prevalent in the U.S. this year, one of the numerous questions asked was about the issue of withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq. According to the report, Americans, when asked about defense issues, particularly on Iraq and National Defense, there has been a sudden drop in popular opinion that the offensive attack against Iraq was "not a mistake," from 52% in 2004 to 39% in 2008. Notable, however, was the increase again in the belief that "Iraq is not a mistake" among Americans this year, increasing to 43% (Saad, 2009). It can be assumed that this rise in public opinion for U.S. intervention can be attributed to possible challenges or difficulties that Iraqis could experience once U.S. troops are fully withdrawn and security has been completely detached from U.S. military intervention. Moreover, Americans have become more conservative this year, as can be attributed also to the financial crisis that hit the country in the last quarters of 2008.

This concern on a possible 'breach in security' is expressed by political analysts in Iraq. In an interview with Baghdad correspondent Jane Arraf, reporter Gwertzman (2009) uncovered that because of the recent truck bombings in Baghdad last August 19, there have been speculations on the capability of the new Iraqi government to truly handle their domestic affairs and conflicts, primarily because of the evident animosity between the Shiites and Baathists, which now leads the government and oppose the administration, respectively.