As The Guardian reports, Bush administration officials have drawn parallels with South Korea and Japan with regards to a permanent military presence in Iraq. Yes, that's right, no matter how democratic things get there, the US isn't going anywhere. Why not? They've invested far too much in controlling that oil The popular and democratically elected government will humbly request they never leave.

Yet the building of US military bases in Iraq continues apace, at a cost of over $1bn a year. Shortly after the invasion, the US established 110 bases in Iraq. The present plan appears to consolidate these into 14 "enduring bases" in Iraqi Kurdistan, at Baghairport, in Anbar province, and in the southern approaches to Baghdad. This does not point to an early US disengagement. And nor does the construction of a US embassy able to house 1,000 staff on a 100-acre site on the banks of the Tigris - the biggest US embassy in the world.

This is, of course, hardly news. The Nation covered it quite nicely at the end of last year. But if it's more interesting predictions you're after, click here.