Some Call It A Victory
There is probably nearly universal satisfaction that Saddam Hussein no longer rules Iraq. But to proclaim the
US/British defeat of the Iraqi military forces as a great victory and a cause for celebration, overlooks both the
costs to date and the likely future consequences. The obvious costs are the deaths of the soldiers and civilians
in this war, along with the physical destruction in Iraq. And there are also the monetary costs of the war and
the reconstruction efforts.
Less quantifiable, but very real, are the damages to the international system of law as represented by the United
Nations. The disdain for the international community and the use of raw military power will lead others to
pursue similar paths. While this discretionary war may have intimidated some, it has also generated near
universal anger in the rest of the world. The Arab world’s attitude towards the US may have fallen into a crater
from which it will never emerge. These consequences, while they may not generate dramatic TV images, are
likely to be broad, subtle and extremely long-lasting.
Building something up is very different from blowing it up. Building a peace and a stable international order
requires more wisdom than even the smartest bomb. Trying to impose a US-dominated regime on Iraq will only
generate opposition from the freedom loving people of that country. Based on the evidence to date, the Bush
administration does not have any real understanding either of other cultures or of international relations. Thus
their efforts at nation building, or at establishing an international order based on anything more than fear of the
US, are tragically doomed to failure.
The best future plan both for the United States and for the people of Iraq is to remove the US & British military
forces from that country as soon as possible and turn over the reconstruction to a truly neutral international
program operated by the United Nations with Arab participation.
David E. White – 4/12/03 |
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