Iraq And Britain: Disorderly Withdrawal -- Editorial

From The Guardian:

Britain's managed withdrawal from Iraq, announced by the prime minister in Baghdad and Basra last week, is a much more fragile thing than the government chooses to admit. At least three factors could throw it off course: a sudden outbreak of violence in Basra, perhaps linked to the provincial elections in February; growing dispute with the US, which fears Britain lacks the will or ability to maintain order, and is sending forces of its own to fill the boots of British troops; and, most pressingly of all, the collapse of a deal to give legal status to the British military presence after 31 December when the current UN mandate expires. Without this agreement, British personnel in Iraq will effectively become intruders in 10 days' time and the controlled six-month withdrawal announced by Gordon Brown would turn into a humiliating new year scuttle across the border into Kuwait. Privately, British forces have been planning for this extreme contingency for some time. They still expect to avoid it, although the deadline is now frighteningly close.

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