The Iraq Study Group

I downloaded the ISG report, and intend to read it in depth real soon now. But I suspect my reaction will be much like Mark Steyn’s[*1] . And he’s a much better writer than I am. So:

So there you have it: an Iraq “Support Group” that brings together theArab League, the European Union, Iran, Russia, China and the U.N. Andwith support like that who needs lack of support? It worked in Darfur,where the international community reached unanimous agreement on theurgent need to rent a zeppelin to fly over the beleaguered regiontrailing a big banner emblazoned “YOU’RE SCREWED.” For Dar4.1, they canjust divert it to Baghdad.

Oh, but lest you think there are no minimum admission criteria to JamesBaker’s “Support Group,” relax, it’s a very restricted membership:Arabs, Persians, Chinese commies, French obstructionists, Russianassassination squads. But no Jews. Even though Israel is the onlycountry to be required to make specific concessions — return the GolanHeights, etc. Indeed, insofar as this document has any novelty value,it’s in the Frankenstein-meets-the-Wolfman sense of a boffo convergenceof hit franchises: a Vietnam bug-out, but with the Jews as thedesignated fall guys. Wow. That’s what Hollywood would call “highconcept.”

So, from what I’ve read, the solution to the Iraq problem is to hand Israel to the Palestinians. I guess there’s a reason why I don’t understand “foreign policy.” I’m insufficiently nuanced to understand that surrender is victory.