What’s next?

Finally, and thank God, our Military is out of Iraq. We still have a relatively large concern that is being left behind, and will need to be watched extremely closely. We have n enormous Embassy to run in Baghdad, and a similarly large  “Consulate” in Basra. For the near future, our interest in maintaining the Embassy in Baghdad does not present a very big problem. However, the presence of a “Consulate” in Basra does present us with a number of problems.

The geographical location of the city of Basra and its importance to the export of Iraqi oil has in the past given the Iraqi government fits. It is simply too close to Iran for anyone to ignore. I believe that in recent weeks Iran has expressed a rather intense desire to bring not only the City and Port of Basra under their control, but also the entire oil producing capability of Iraq.  This would involve, at the very least, the entire Euphrates River valley, right up to the Turkish border. With a slightly less aggressive land grab to the West, this has the distinct possibility of linking Iran with Syria. Oh, happy day! [ He said sarcastically.]

If you are of the ilk that believes one thing leads to another ( the Domino Theory), then consider how this puts more radical Islam closer, much closer, to the State of Israel. You don’t have to be a highly paid Historian (Gnewt!) to figure out what this may mean a permanent change in the makeup and demise of the State of Israel. You also do not have to be a degreed Ivy League prognosticator to know that these are the events that lead to World Wars. I feel that in the coming months these are some of the monumental questions our State Department and Executive Branch will have to wrestle with. I sincerely hope modern civilization can come up with the correct international solution that will be needed to keep this scenario from occurring.