thedrifter
10-03-07, 07:19 AM
FORMER HEAD OF U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND
Retired general, Iraq critic at Queens
Zinni questioned war planning, but also says U.S. `can't leave mess'
STEVE LYTTLE SLYTTLE@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM
Retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni, who made headlines in 2003 when he criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, comes to Charlotte Thursday night as guest of the Learning Society of Queens University of Charlotte.
In the months after the invasion, the former commander of U.S. Central Command said he worried that deposing Saddam Hussein and not having a sound strategy for replacing the dictator could set off a civil war.
Now he says U.S. troops need to stay in Iraq. "We can't leave the mess we made," says Zinni, a Philadelphia native who joined the Marines in 1961 and was severely wounded in Vietnam.
Zinni, who teaches at Duke University and Cornell University, took time last week to answer some questions. Here are excerpts:
Q. What should be the U.S.'s military policy in Iraq? We need to change our strategy -- get out of the streets, set up a base in Kurdistan and basically move into a containment posture. The Iraqis need to be doing more of the essential work.
Q. Is a better strategy to split Iraq into three countries -- Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite? I don't like the idea of splitting it into ethnic and/or religious states. The Kurds probably would thrive, but the Sunni center has nothing going for it. And the Shiite south? What happens there? We already see fighting among various factions.
Q. What will happen in Iraq? I think what we will see in Iraq is a period of local autonomy established, and the federal government eventually will take control. You know, it's not unlike our own development.
Q. Is the military a good place for a young person? My son is a Marine Corps captain in Iraq. I spent time helping in Somalia, working with the Kurds in northern Iraq. The military is not just about security. More and more, it's a place to help others. I think it's a good place for many people.
Want to Go?
Gen. Anthony Zinni USMC (Ret.) speaks at 7 p.m. Thursday in Dana Auditorium, on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. Tickets are $20 ($15 for Queens alumni) and on sale to the public. For tickets, call 704-337-2458 or check www.queens.edu/learningsociety.
Ellie
Retired general, Iraq critic at Queens
Zinni questioned war planning, but also says U.S. `can't leave mess'
STEVE LYTTLE SLYTTLE@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM
Retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni, who made headlines in 2003 when he criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, comes to Charlotte Thursday night as guest of the Learning Society of Queens University of Charlotte.
In the months after the invasion, the former commander of U.S. Central Command said he worried that deposing Saddam Hussein and not having a sound strategy for replacing the dictator could set off a civil war.
Now he says U.S. troops need to stay in Iraq. "We can't leave the mess we made," says Zinni, a Philadelphia native who joined the Marines in 1961 and was severely wounded in Vietnam.
Zinni, who teaches at Duke University and Cornell University, took time last week to answer some questions. Here are excerpts:
Q. What should be the U.S.'s military policy in Iraq? We need to change our strategy -- get out of the streets, set up a base in Kurdistan and basically move into a containment posture. The Iraqis need to be doing more of the essential work.
Q. Is a better strategy to split Iraq into three countries -- Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite? I don't like the idea of splitting it into ethnic and/or religious states. The Kurds probably would thrive, but the Sunni center has nothing going for it. And the Shiite south? What happens there? We already see fighting among various factions.
Q. What will happen in Iraq? I think what we will see in Iraq is a period of local autonomy established, and the federal government eventually will take control. You know, it's not unlike our own development.
Q. Is the military a good place for a young person? My son is a Marine Corps captain in Iraq. I spent time helping in Somalia, working with the Kurds in northern Iraq. The military is not just about security. More and more, it's a place to help others. I think it's a good place for many people.
Want to Go?
Gen. Anthony Zinni USMC (Ret.) speaks at 7 p.m. Thursday in Dana Auditorium, on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. Tickets are $20 ($15 for Queens alumni) and on sale to the public. For tickets, call 704-337-2458 or check www.queens.edu/learningsociety.
Ellie