Iraqi Parliament backs U.S. timeline for withdrawal

It’s a hugely significant development. Lawmakers demanding an end to the occupation now have the upper hand in the Iraqi legislature for the first time; previous attempts at a similar resolution fell just short of the 138 votes needed to pass (there are 275 members of the Iraqi parliament, but many have fled the country’s civil conflict, and at times it’s been difficult to arrive at a quorum). Read more at Alternet

But the members of government in both Baghdad and D.C. still have a range of opinions about the occupation, even though the majority of Iraqis and Americans want the U.S. out of Iraq.

The internal displacement of civilians and refugee numbers are increasing every day. The number of refugees is threatening stability in surrounding countries and no one, including the U.S. or Britain, wants to let the Iraqis in.