The Atlantic Community Think Tank in Germany interviewed 14 European policy analysts from 10 different countries regarding the US debate on Iraq and arrived at some compelling conclusions:
- European analysts largely support sustained US military involvement in Iraq. A sudden withdrawal or public announcement of a timetable was considered dangerous by a majority of those questioned.
- Europeans feel that America is not doing enough to draw Syria and Iran into the nation-building process. However, there is no consensus on whether or not this is an achievable goal.
- The Soft-Partition Plan, which is gaining traction among American policy makers, is an issue of fierce debate in the European discussion on Iraq. Most experts are resigned to the possibility that it is the only logical political option, but it by no means enjoys majority support.
I thought that during this highly politicized period in the U.S. debate, these European views might be of interest as an outside perspective.
Read the full conclusions in
European Pundits Want America to Stay in Iraq
What do you think?
Are you surprised that liberal Europe agrees with the Republicans?