The US involvement in Iraq is a sticky issue. One that I’m not completely prepared to comment on yet. It is pretty obvious, however, that a lot of people are calling for a return of US troops–a retreat.

Australia’s prime minister is not one of those people calling for such retreat. It is interesting to see what he has to say:

“For the West to pull out of Iraq in circumstances seen as defeat, would deliver an enormous boost to terrorism in the region and around the world, and would be a huge blow to American prestige, and that would have bad consequences for Australia.

“I think we need a strategy that makes certain that we don’t leave behind an outcome that is a victory for the terrorists and we leave behind [an] Iraq that has an opportunity as surviving as a democratic nation.”

What do you think?  Obviously no one is calling for troops to be in Iraq forever, but what should the time frame be, and what do you think the global consequences will be for the time frame you suggest?