Continue War?

Jack Kirkwood is a member of DPO Platform & Resolutions and this is re-printed with his permission.

CONTINUE WAR OR CHOOSE EXIT STRATEGY?
By Jack Kirkwood

President Bush wants victory in Iraq. He says that if the enemy wins we can expect them to unite under a caliph to attack the United States.

Apparently it has escaped Bush’s notice that the war in Iraq is as much a war of Sunnis against Shiites as it is a war against coalition forces.

The Sunnis and Shiites have been rivals for nearly fourteen centuries. Both claimed their leaders to be the legitimate heirs of the Prophet Mohammed.

In the early days of strong caliphs, they spread the Muslim religion as they overran much of northern Africa and parts of Spain. They dominated the entire Middle East. Parts of central and south Asia were conquered as well.

Over the centuries these areas have developed into nations with distinct cultures. Diversity makes it inconceivable that they would unite in war against the United States.

The President’s reasoning is just as flawed as when he took the United States and coalition forces to war against Iraq.

The CIA and others knew that Iraq had no imperial design against the United States, nor did Iraqis hate America as al Qaeda does. Iraq was not a hotbed of al Qaeda cells and Saddam Hussein had resisted their penetration into Iraq. He and Osama bin Laden were bitter enemies and rivals for influence in the region.

A wiser course for President Bush would have been to ask Iraqi cooperation in isolating al Qaeda cells and seeking information about them.

The Bush Administration has tried to bring democracy to Iraq, and millions of Iraqis were proud of purple fingers symbolizing their courageous participation in voting despite the violence around them.

But time has passed, with steadily increasing violence, high unemployment, shortage of electricity and other necessities. Reconstruction is stalled. So, too, have most Iraqis lost any sense of benefit from the presence of occupation forces; 80% of Iraqis want us to leave.

Now, with a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress looking for bi-partisan engagement and a special bi-partisan committee of experienced problem solvers appointed by the President to propose solutions, the world should see positive change in the near future.

American voters have themselves to thank for that. Hopefully our leaders can learn to deal with terror as law enforcement rather than quest for victory.

Jack Kirkwood
Aloha, OR 97006