FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS RELEASE August 1, 2007 Contact: John Rankin 515-221-1001 media@brownback.com
DES MOINES – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, Republican candidate for president, outlined a “diplomatic surge” for Iraq that would aim for long-term stability by creating a soft partition for the three major ethnic groups in Iraq, with Baghdad serving as the seat of a united federal government.
“We should implement a diplomatic surge that promotes a federal Iraq where Sunnis, Shi’a and Kurds manage their own affairs within a unified state,” said Brownback. “If we do not embrace the goal of federalism in Iraq, we will find ourselves held hostage to the endless debates between Iraqi political parties that have occurred over the last two years. The three-state political solution could create the equilibrium and stability that is necessary to ensure that we do not have to return to Iraq.”
Brownback spoke at a forum jointly hosted by the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and the Greater Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations. He painted a stark picture of failure in Iraq:
“Some people suggest that we withdraw our troops, but I would remind them of the consequences of failure. Iraq would become a safe haven for al Qaeda. It would become a failed state and risk regional war. It would descend into genocidal chaos.”
Brownback continued, “The longer Iraq goes without political equilibrium, the bigger the risk of total breakdown. Ironically, an implosion in Iraq would probably end up creating three states.”
Brownback said that history suggests that Iraq would be well-served by a federal system:
“The three-state political solution reflects the historical organization of the territory of Mesopotamia, acknowledges the demographic and cultural realities of modern day Iraq and would preserve the integrity and sovereignty of Iraq.”
Brownback traveled to Iraq from January 9-10, 2007, and met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani, U.S. Generals Raymond Odierno and George Casey, Jr., and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.
In November 1999, Brownback spoke to the National Assembly of the Iraqi National Congress, where he highlighted the need for a comprehensive policy to deal with Saddam Hussein and post-Saddam Iraq.
The full speech follows:
Some people suggest that we withdraw our troops, but I would remind them of the consequences of failure. Iraq would become a safe haven for al Qaeda. It would become a failed state and risk a regional war. It would descend into genocidal chaos. Instability, terror and genocide are not acceptable for Iraq or the United States.
If we fail in Iraq now, we will probably have to return in the near future to clean up an even bigger mess. There is simply no substitute for victory. We’re in a tough spot, but we have to get this one right.
No one wants to lose. The American people want to succeed.