Don't Cut and Run, but Get Out of Iraq Now

In the latest interview with The Real News Network, Phyllis Bennis states that the debt owed to the Iraqi people can only be paid after ending occupation.

The Real News Senior Editor, Paul Jay speaks with Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies about the impact of US presence and departure from Iraq. At some point the Americans are going to leave and Iraqis are going to have a right to determine their own future. The US owes reparations and more, but this can only be acted on after military occupation is ended.

Bennis argues that no matter when the troops leave, Iraqis will have to determine their own future. Bennis paints a grim picture of Iraq's future, suggesting that internal rivalries will eventually resurface, leading to renewed instability in the country as well as in the region. Moreover, irrespective of their results, according to Bennis, the upcoming referendum in the country will not necessarily legitimize the U.S. presence in Iraq since the invasion was against the international law.

See more from Phyllis Bennis and The Real News Network.