Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now by George McGovern, William Polk, William R. Polk (Concept by)

From the Publisher

Former senator George McGovern and William R. Polk, a leading authority on the Middle East, offer a detailed plan for a speedy troop withdrawal from Iraq.

During the phased withdrawal, to begin on December 31, 2006, and to be completed by June 30, 2007, they recommend that the Iraq government engage the temporary services of an international stabilization force to police the country. Other elements in the withdrawal plan include an independent accounting of American expenditures of Iraqi funds, reparations to Iraqi civilians for lives lost and property destroyed, immediate release of all prisoners of war, the closing of American detention centers, and offering to void all contracts for petroleum exploration, development, and marketing made during the American occupation.

Foreign Affairs

This is a well-crafted tract for our times. In a pliable paperbackthat will fit into a purse or pocket, the authors waste not a word in asserting that Americans were misled into Iraq and in setting out the baleful impact of the U.S. intervention on Iraqis and Americans. They then turn to their "practical plan for withdrawal," which includes a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops to be completed by June 30, 2007, an immediate cessation of work on U.S. military bases in Iraq, an evacuation of the sprawling Green Zone, and a number of specific steps to financially support the Iraqi government and people both during and after the withdrawal. Each of these later steps comes with a price tag that they shrewdly convert into single-day costs of the continuing U.S. presence in Iraq (usually only one day or less for each proposed step). What comes through, however, is not so much an economics argument as a wise and learned conviction (with some passing references to Vietnam) that what the United States ought to do or refrain from doing in its foreign relations accords with what works and does not work in international politics.

Library Journal

The U.S. invasion of Iraq has brought about profound instability and major transformations in regional politics. The long-term implications of the continuing occupation of Iraq have yet to be determined. However, it has become clear to many analysts, and even some U.S. supporters of the war, that both the prestige of the United States and the country's ability to affect the course of events in the Middle East have been significantly reduced by Washington's Iraq adventure. In this crisp and cogently argued book, former senator McGovern, the Democratic presidential nominee in 1972, and scholar Polk (Understanding Iraq), a former JFK diplomat, offer a trenchant and straightforward critique of the war in Iraq. What makes their highly readable book unique is that it not only argues why the United States needs to disengage militarily from Iraq now (e.g., to prevent widening sectarian violence) but also clearly delineates practical steps for troop withdrawal (e.g., a phased process, with POW releases and reparations for expenditure of Iraqi funds). Essential reading for anybody who wants to cut through the maze of confusion that surrounds current U.S. policy in Iraq, this book is highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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