According to the Observer, Britain will start withdrawing from Iraq next May. The phased pullout will take a year, and will have a cascade effect, as smaller forces in the "Coalition of the Willing" (such as Japan's) will likely be unable to operate without British cover.
Meanwhile, Bush is saying that any withdrawal from Iraq would be a victory for terrorists. I guess Blair forgot to tell him...
Perhaps Gordon Brown has a plan to withdraw but nobody has bothered to tell the lame duck Prime Minister.
ReplyDeleteThe current Labour conference is very interesting. Cabinet ministers are going out of their way to say publicly how well they work with the Chancellor, who is going to be the next leader. The mandate of heaven seems to be moving next door, in Downing Street, a lot faster than Blair would no doubt like.