National defense

[tectonic_drift]

The U.S. is proposing 58 military bases in Iraq . The population of Iraq is about 437,000 (according to the CIA factbook)-that amounts to one-fifth of a base per 100,000 Iraqis. According to Wikipedia there are 201 bases in the U.S. That is one-fifteenth of a base per 100,000 Americans. There is a lot more chaos in Iraq so the disproportionate

Comments

[nyuanshin]

Jesus, are they trying to make Iran crap its collective pants? Here's what I think would be a better idea: have each Iraqi town hold a referendum about whether it wants a US army base near it. The ones that answer yes get one, the ones that answer no don't. Beyond that, work out a deal with the Iraqi federal government about placing a few bases near strategically important points, like oil pipelines and such. I'm guessing you'd end up with about a dozen bases all told, and almost everyone would probably be happier with the arrangement. A small footprint that's sustainable and strong is better that a large one that's more difficult to maintain.

[tectonic_drift]

You are right that strategic placement makes much more sense. I have to wonder if the referendum option ends up undermining the sovereignty of the national government. Then again, it is so troubled already taking things local may be more realistic.

[nyuanshin]

I came to realize some time ago that the national government was a mistake anyway, and that the only feasible way to bring order to a stitched-together political region like that is locally. Trying to force an unnatural fit on the situation just makes the job more intractable.