|
Iraq: Why we must continue the fight
|
|
A few observations about Iraq and the larger “War on Terrorism.” (opinion by Joe Fried) The decision to invade The United States should never confront a dangerous tyrant, militarily, until it has first exhausted nonmilitary attempts to deal with him. In addition, military action should not be used unless the following conditions exist: 1. The military action is welcomed by a majority of the population (living under the tyrant’s control). 2. There is legal justification for the intervention. 3. Our military is capable of succeeding. 4. It is in our national interest.
All of the above conditions existed with respect to our toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime. 1. Surveys showed that most Iraqis (70 to 90 percent) were glad we removed Hussein from power. 2. The Hussein regime was in violation of the earlier Gulf War cease fire resolutions and of numerous U.N. sanctions. 3. It took Coalition forces only a month or so to topple the dictator. 4. Our nation needed to determine, with certainty, whether or not there were dangerous weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. For his own reasons, Hussein had been coy about this matter, and refused to give a straightforward accounting.
The “insurgency” After our initial success in Iraq, an “insurgency” took root, and exists today. This insurgency is an amalgam of disgruntled Iraqis and foreign extremists (e.g., Al Qaeda).
Although most of the insurgents are Iraqis, most of the sensational acts of violence have been caused by foreigners. Coalition and Iraqi military leaders estimate that 90% or more of the hundreds of suicide bombings has been carried out by non-Iraqis. Indeed, the late Jordanian terrorist al Zarqawi claimed credit for 850 successful suicide bombings.
World reaction aids the terrorists The suicide bombings started in late 2003 with the Jordanian Embassy, United Nations headquarters, the Red Cross, and a major Shiite Mosque. The insurgents were probably nervous about the world-wide reaction to their stunning atrocities. However, to their surprise and pleasure (no doubt), Europe and the rest of the Middle East blamed the U.S. for these horrors - not the insurgents. Many even labeled the insurgent thugs as “the resistance” or “freedom fighters.”
The world-wide reaction to the 2003 bombings of the Jordanian Embassy, the U.N., the Red Cross, and the Shiite mosque was responsible, to a large degree, for the present predicament in Iraq. If European nations and the surrounding Muslim nations had responded with outrage, and by sending security troops to assist the newly-liberated Iraqis, the insurgents would have been forced to modify their tactics.
The “civil war” In early 2006, the “Golden Mosque,” a holy Shiite shrine, was destroyed by insurgents (probably the Jordanian terrorist al-Zarqawi). This has stirred up vigilante acts of revenge, but nothing that approaches an outright “civil war,” as the term is commonly understood. The vast majority of Iraqis are not participating in the violence, which seems to be the work of small numbers of ruthless Sunni and Shiite extremists.
The future We must not abandon this fight. Remember, we are in Iraq at the behest of its elected and Democratic government, and we are fighting a repugnant enemy that is despised by the overwhelming majority of Iraqis. Leaving Iraq would be morally indefensible, and would also be a huge strategic blunder. Our retreat would create a vacuum that would quickly be filled by al Qaeda and Iranian-backed radicals.
The fight may take years, and even decades. No insurgency fight is quick because the insurgents hide among civilians, effectively using them as hostages. In this case, the insurgents even target civilians. And, they are confident that the world will blame the Coalition forces for any atrocities they commit.
Iraq is just one battle in a series of battles we will have to fight, because wherever the United States has a presence, the Islamic radicals will accumulate and confront us – until they are defeated militarily. The next battle could be in Indonesia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Somalia, or even the suburbs of Paris. Unless the U.S. wants to retreat from world affairs, it must be prepared to fight this enemy in lengthy and costly engagements.
|
|
Public Program Testing Organization
©2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
|