(BBC) Iraq: What kind of nation are US troops leaving behind?

As the 31 December deadline for the pullout of all the American troops from Iraq approaches, the BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse in Baghdad asks what kind of a country Washington leaves behind.

“I’ve been here for over six years,” said John, a mulletted, moustachioed civilian contractor, driving a pickup truck through the dusty lanes of Camp Kalsu.

“I’m helping to do whatever needs to be done. Take it easy, see ya!” and with that he cranked up the volume on his iPod, plugged into the pickup’s stereo, and drove off in a blast of country and western.

Read it all.