ACP Platform Principles Summary

 

 

ACP Platform Principles Summary

 

These are in no order of importance please check out the full platform plank for full details if more details are listed in following sections.

 

 

Foreign Relations: Afghanistan & Iraq

 

Afghanistan is the still the frontline on the War on Terror because of location of Al-Qaeda’s leadership and the Taliban. Regardless of whether you agree or not the U.S. dropped the ball when it comes to Afghanistan by diverting its attention from Afghanistan to Iraq. Afghanistan has seen an upsurge in violence and increase in Taliban control in parts of the country. Just like in Iraq our military has won a military victory in Afghanistan and are dealing with insurgency and hit and run tactics. The true victory in Afghanistan must be a political one, and the Afghan people have made great strides towards this but security has become a problem due to the lack of troops in Afghanistan. We must hunt the terrorists and Taliban wherever they are and completely and utterly defeat them. To do this we need troops on the ground to go into the caves and mountains where they hide and root them out. Thus, the ACP supports the following plan:

 

  1. The ACP believes that the true War on Terror’s frontline is still in Afghanistan and the border of Pakistan. To utterly defeat the Taliban and root out Al Qaeda the ACP supports in sending whatever amount of troops that the Department of Defense deems necessary for this mission.

 

  1. The ACP supports eventually phasing troops out of Iraq and after giving them proper rest and retraining committing at least seventy five thousand combat troops ( or whatever amount the Department of Defense deems necessary) back into Afghanistan to crush the Taliban and help out with NATO security there.

 

  1. America must continue to encourage its NATO allies for more combat missions by their forces in Afghanistan.

 

  1. The Afghan military has come a long way and is able in most circumstances to fight on their own but we must make sure that when we do leave we they are able to fight on their own all the time so we must continue training their forces.

 

  1. Permanently staff US bases in Afghanistan with Quick Reaction Forces designed to fight terrorist hotspots that might flare up in the nation or Pakistan or any of the former Soviet republics.

 

  1. Support international not just US investment in Afghanistan.

 

  1. Train and education Afghan farmers in the growing of other economically viable crops to stamp out opium farming.

 

Iraq:


The ACP supports the current Status of Forces Agreement Treaty which can be viewed here in total at http://www.mnf-iraq.com/images/CGs_Messages/security_agreement.pdf

Highlights of this agreement follows:
1. All the United States Forces shall withdraw from all Iraqi territory no later than December 31, 2011.


2. All United States combat forces shall withdraw from Iraqi cities, villages, and localities no later than the time at which Iraqi Security Forces assume full responsibility for security in an Iraqi province, provided that such withdrawal is completed no later than June 30, 2009.


3. United States combat forces withdrawn pursuant to paragraph 2 above shall be stationed in the agreed facilities and areas outside cities, villages, and localities to be stationed in bases in Iraq until the final withdrawal. (Paraphrased).

PartII-

If after the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq the nation falls into disorder and chaos the ACP supports the Plan for Iraq that the ACP has supported for several years. Of course that is if the Congress of the United States and the President of the United States decide on moving back into Iraq.

A Five Point Plan for Iraq
1. Establish One Iraq, with Three Regions
• Federalize Iraq in accordance with its constitution by establishing three largely autonomous regions - Shiite, Sunni and Kurd -- with a strong but limited central government in Baghdad
• Put the central government in charge of truly common interests: border defense, foreign policy, oil production and revenues
• Form regional governments -- Kurd, Sunni and Shiite -- responsible for administering their own regions
2. Share Oil Revenues
• Gain agreement for the federal solution from the Sunni Arabs by guaranteeing them 20 percent of all present and future oil revenues -- an amount roughly proportional to their size -- which would make their region economically viable
• Empower the central government to set national oil policy and distribute the revenues, which would attract needed foreign investment and reinforce each community's interest in keeping Iraq intact and protecting the oil infrastructure
3. Convene International Conference, Enforce Regional Non-Aggression Pact
• Convene with the U.N. a regional security conference where Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, pledge to support Iraq's power sharing agreement and respect Iraq's borders
• Engage Iraq's neighbors directly to overcome their suspicions and focus their efforts on stabilizing Iraq, not undermining it
• Create a standing Contact Group, to include the major powers, that would engage Iraq's neighbors and enforce their commitments
4. Responsibly Drawdown US Troops
• Direct U.S. military commanders to develop a plan to withdraw and re-deploy almost all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2009, and finish redeployment by the end of 2010.
• Maintain in or near Iraq a small residual force -- perhaps 20,000 troops -- to strike any concentration of terrorists, help keep Iraq's neighbors honest and train its security forces
5. Increase Reconstruction Assistance and Create a Jobs Program
• Provide more reconstruction assistance, conditioned on the protection of minority and women's rights and the establishment of a jobs program to give Iraqi youth an alternative to the militia and criminal gangs
Insist that other countries take the lead in funding reconstruction by making good on old commitments and providing new ones -- especially the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries.