America will be in Middle East 'for 50 years'
American troops could remain mired in Middle East conflicts for another 50 years, a leading former commander has warned.
Retired general John Abizaid , who was head of US forces in the area, said: “We shouldn’t assume for even a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home, relax and take it easy, because the strategic situation in the region doesn’t seem to show that as being possible.
General Abizaid, who retired in May as the longest-serving commander of US Central Command, said the rise of Sunni extremism, burgeoning Shiite extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the world economy’s dependency on Middle East oil will keep Americans there for a long time.
“I’m not saying this is a war for oil, but I am saying that oil fuels an awful lot of geopolitical moves that political powers may have there,” General Abizaid said.
“And it is absolutely essential that we in the US of America figure out how, in the long run, to lessen our dependency on foreign energy.”
He repeated comments made last month that the US needs to better co-ordinate economic, political and diplomatic policy so the conflict can move from a military to a political issue.
“I would characterise what we’re doing now as 80% military, 20% diplomatic, economic, political, educational, informational, intelligence, etc.,” General Abizaid said. “You’ve got to take that equation and change it. Make it 80 per cent those other things.”
