Talking to Sami Al Askari, an Iraqi member of parliament and adviser to the prime minister, about the ongoing debate on shaping the future of Iraq's relations with the United States, the conversation led to a number of points that seemed very much in line with the chaos witnessed in Iraq over the past five years.
He said the core issue is whether the Iraqi government wants the Coalition Forces to leave the country by the end of this year.
The Iraqi government has stressed the need for the presence of some foreign troops to secure peace and stability in the country.
Even Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, who is very much in favour of seeing off the last foreign boot on Iraqi soil as soon as possible, says that Iraq needs foreign aerial support in its operations called "Sawlat Al Fursan" in Basra and "Umm Al Rabeain" in Mosul.
Other Iraqi politicians view the presence of the US military as a conductor and coordinator to the ongoing political process in the country.
The issue of the US-Iraqi strategic ties pact, which is being discussed between senior officials from both sides, underline the enormous stakes in the talks.
"If we were to agree that the US forces are to stay in Iraq next year, another question will arise: where will these forces stay? The obvious answer would be in US bases in Iraq. Technically, there is a disagreement about naming the bases, but by the end of the day, no matter what we call them, they will remain US bases in Iraq," he added.
The serious fallout between the Iraqi and American counterparts lies in the number of US bases, their tasks and responsibilities.
Iraq is seriously confronted with difficult liabilities and options that are threatening its unity and stability. This can be attributed partly to the method used in toppling the former Ba'athist regime and the consequences of the wars that were waged by that regime, as well as the lack of clear US strategy after the invasion of Iraq.
The partial stability witnessed today in a majority of Iraq's governorates will be undermined should a complete pull-out of foreign troops take place in the near future. There is no doubt that such a withdrawal will lead to sectarian strife and blood baths.
Sticky point
Another sticky point mentioned by the Iraqi parliament member is related to the enormous Iraqi funds in US financial establishments. These funds are protected by the US administration, a fact that not many people would like to recognise.
Iraqi funds will be confiscated by debtors if Iraq is de-linked from the US in a hasty manner. If this Iraqi-US connection is severed before some sort of an agreement is reached with countries that Iraq owes billions to, as a result of the former regime's misadventures, Iraq will stand to lose its badly needed funds.
Many of those who oppose the Iraq-US strategic pact are politically motivated; either they are against the Iraqi government or they are against the US administration. Few are seriously thinking of Iraq's benefit, unity and safety.
An alliance with the US would also assure Arab allies that Iraq would not fall under the domination of Iran. Tehran is cajoling Iraqis to refuse any deal that would keep American soldiers in the country.
Iran fears the pact because a strategic alliance between the US and Iraq would not be to its future advantage. However, the debate on the pact is proceeding in a way to have the US bases in Iraq for a pre-determined time frame, till a time Iraq is able to protect its unity and stability.
The good thing about the whole affair is that all Iraqi politicians, Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds are united in their stand and voice the same worries, a development which Iraq has not seen for a very long time.
If all else fails, the US and Iraq will go to the UN Security Council and seek an extension of the mandate to allow foreign troops in Iraq.
Iraqis too are aware that without the US and its forces, it will be very difficult to hold the country together. And it is a sad fact, that Iraq does need the presence of foreign forces to hold it together, in peace.
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