What is to be done in Iraq?

Some people who are really angry with the United States now optimistically expect that they will leave soon and go home.

But for my part, I’m afraid that the already existing chaos in Iraq would then turn into a catastrophe. It is a fact that the United States can by no means control the area, but its departure would be far worse than all the other stories of failure.

If the United States decides to leave, there will be all sorts of push and shove in Iraq, our own neighbor:

1) Kurds among themselves;

2) Shiites vs. Sunnis;

3) Kurds vs. Shiites;

4) Baath vs. everybody else, who will be doing their best to destroy each other.

5) Al-Qaeda will exploit the opportunity to the fullest to win a piece of land for itself.

Some elements in the Kurdish federation in northern Iraq will start to dream of an opening to the sea by obtaining Iranian Kurdistan and gaining more control over the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and also by securing southeastern Turkey.

Some will certainly start dreaming of an independent and larger Kurdistan. I can’t imagine them being successful in getting land from Turkey, but they could certainly bring back the old "terror days" of hitting and running in all parts of the country.

Some in northern Iraq may align themselves with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which will in this case align itself with Al-Qaeda.

Some may ask, "Why should Al-Qaeda be interested in Turkey?"

The possibility of the blossoming of Islam within a democracy is the biggest challenge to Al-Qaeda’s legitimacy among ignorant Muslims.

Al-Qaeda rests on the assumption that "All solutions for humanity are in the Koran" and that whatever comes from the West, including democracy and human rights, is the game of Satan.

From this perspective Turkey is a great enemy for Al-Qaeda, and everything should be done for the failure of its project to wed Islam and democracy.

Thus, what the United States has brought to Iraq is a nightmare for everybody, but their departure will be a worse case.

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So what is to be done?

The United States should accept the fact it needs help in Iraq. But nobody will extend their help for free. From a real-politics point of view, that means it should accept the fact that it has to share oil there with other countries such as Germany, France, Russia and China.

This is the only way to earn the umbrella of the United Naitons for bringing law and order to Iraq.

Under U.N. decree Turkey should also send troops to the area. Obviously it should get its share. It is my sincere belief that with its great experience in combating terror, the Turkish military would be successful in bringing law and order to Iraq in cooperation with the English.

I also believe that the English are more successful than the United States in bringing law and order to the areas they are responsible for in Iraq.

But in order to realize such a project, there are two "realities" to be digested both by Turkey and the United States:

1) The United States should accept that it cannot enjoy control of the oil fields in Iraq by itself; and

2) Turkey should not resist a Kurdish federation in northern Iraq.