Source: Asiatimes.
By Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON – United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s suggestion that the end of the US troop presence in Iraq was part of a US military success story ignores the fact that the George W Bush administration and the US military had planned to maintain a semi-permanent military presence in Iraq.
The real story behind the US withdrawal is how a clever strategy of deception and diplomacy adopted by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in cooperation with Iran outmaneuvered Bush and the US military leadership and got the US to sign the US-Iraq withdrawal agreement.
Unfortunately the “Iran” struggle is far from over.
(US/Iran, Saudi/Iran, Israel/Iran/ etc.), but, yes, this ‘battle’ seems to have been won by the Iranian/Iraqi side.
I have spent nearly 9 years also commuting up and down to Iraq and worked very closely together with Iraqis of all backgrounds. Of course they are a very diverse nation – like most nations of course. May Allah grant them peace and prosperity…