Consequences

[derekpara]

What do you think would be the consequences of pulling all foreign troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan ?

[stokemaveric]

it would pave the way for al queada and other terrorist groups to train and equip terrorists to attack the west. that is why we are there and must remain there.

[persianlady]

I agree with stokemaverics answer.

[perigra]

terrorist trainoing camps were setup by cia to train mujahidin to fight the afghan govenment in the 80's. the afghan government asked russia to help and and so it escalated and eventually backfired on the usa

[jojojojoanne]

potential civil, guerilla warfare?(in both afghanistan and iraq)

[jojojojoanne]

obviously afghanistan and iraq are two places that can be said to be the focus of extreme political upheavel and flux right now in the world, even if troops got pulled out of the countries the segregation and possible potential apartheid that may have arisen in the two countries both as a direct result and a consequence of the war, may prove more difficult to settle, even if the troops are deployed.

[buildersmate]

More poppies, which equals more heroine.

[styley]

I'd say Iraq would probably become a terrorist state. You can blame the yanks and brits for that. They went in to a peoples country with no real reason for doing so and many many people were killed. Would you like that to happen to your country? If someone came into your country and started bombing and killing indiscriminately and started rounding up your father, brothers, sons indiscriminately and started to degrade them and there beliefs, let me ask you would you perhaps get a little bit angry? Would you maybe look for some kind of revenge against the ones who persecuted you once they'd toddled off in their high and mightyness? Not many people like occupiers and that's what's become of Iraq. The hole has been dug.

[anotheoldgit]

it would pave the way for al queada and other terrorist groups to train and equip terrorists to attack the west. that is why we are there and must remain there.

Then how is it we are not in Iran and Pakistan also?

[Cugetit]

Agree with most of the above. We should not be in either Iraq or Afghanistan. We went into Iraq under a pretext and exacerbated a situation which the invasion incursion created. WMD, as we all know, were non-existent. Iraq was supposed to pose a threat to its neighbours and this was another falsehood. Check it out. Iraq's neighbours, clockwise, from Turkey ... they did not want the allies to go in and there was quite an upset when they almost refused the USA to overfly Turkey. Iran next, against. Kuwait .... well, that is almost a USA satellite now so enough said. Saudi Arabia ... were against. Jordan ... against. Lebanon ... against. Israel .... not a direct neighbour, were the only ones who were massively behind the illegal invasion. Do you remember Tony Martin, who shot a couple of trespassers and one of them died? Most "ordinary" people were with him and thought he was within his rights to defend his property. What is the difference in Iraq?

[Quinlad]

Loads of squaddies getting hammered and starting fights in the UK's town centres. We'd be over-run with them, making our towns no-go areas.

Leave Our Boys where they are.

[spaced]

pull them out and drop and nuclear bomb over Iraq and Afghanistan. End of story. Next question.

Joke aside, you will find that this is the answer you will get from most people....

[sp1214]

Iraq has the money from the oil wealth to deploy its own forces and now with the backing of Iran can dictate their own policy.

Afghanistan is an unwinnable war. When under attack they slip across the Pakistan border which is why they can never catch Bin Laden. Pull the troops out now!

[derekpara]

Thanks, everyone for your varied and interesting views. Personally, I think we should bring our troops home from both countries. The taliban and Osama will claim victory, of course, but we will have to live with that.
No country, or group of countries, should try to force democracy on another; that change to democracy, if a large enough number of people want it, will only come through internal struggle. Yes, there will be a lot of bloodshed, but that is part of a revolution.

With our troops home we will be in a better position to defend this country and its borders from internal as well as external attack by thos ewho want to destroy OUR way of life.