John Mage wrote:
>
> Yoshie wrote:
>
>
> > No one will probably invest in Iraq, for no one can pacify the
> > country, for some time to come, so privatization is a moot question at
> > this point, and those on the Left who mention it should do so only to
> > score rhetorical points.
>
> Hah!
> But my point was a good rhetorical point!
Yes. But I simply don't believe the u.s. will abandon its bases in Iraq except under (unimaginable) conditions in which it could do so without allowing any competitor (Russia, China, Europe) to gain economic and/or political hegemony. To do so would involve in effect surrendering the imperialist project, and that project is synonymous with u.s. capitalism. Military bases in a sea of chaos, but chaos for which the u.s. no longer took responsibility, would be the final line of retreat. Beyond that my imagination cannot go.
I agree with Yoshie that leftists must continue to press for unconditional u.s. withdrawal of _all_ forces, surrender of _all_ bases; but I'm afraid that for the present that is only for the (merely) subjective sake of remaining leftists, not that we have or are about to have the strength to put muscle behind those demands.
I don't think Parenti understands what "losing," really losing, in this context means.
Carrol