State Dept: Budget Cuts Imperil Iraq War

Extra $1 Billion in 2012 Would 'Lock in the Progress'

Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield on Wednesday slammed Congressional calls to cut the budget for foreign largesse, insisting that a plan to remove an additional $1 billion in Iraq spending from the budget threatens the ongoing war there.

Speaking on the $1 billion proposal, Brownfield insisted it would “lock in the progress,” and would guarantee a “stable, secure and even prosperous Iraq.”

The claims must inevitably be doubted, of course, in the face of both continuing violence across the nation and the rising protest movement in Iraq. Indeed, one would assume that if the State Department had a $1 billion magic bullet they would’ve used it 8 years ago.

In fact the $1 billion plan is probably not even the worst case scenario, as many in the administration are openly talking up the possibility of US troops remaining in the nation in 2012 and possibly beyond. The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) requires them to be out of Iraq by December.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.