U.S. Lowers Sights on What Can Be Achieved in Iraq...
Long term, of course...much can still be accomplished in Iraq...
But democracy takes time...and, by its nature, can't be forced on a population...
Some seeds have been planted...and I do have confidence that the new Iraq will be a significant improvement over the bloody and murderous tyranny of Saddam Hussein...
But Administration officials seem to be coming to terms with the fact that this path to Iraqi democracy is coming up far shorter of that goal than they imagined, up front...and at least one of those officials -- the one sited at the end of this article -- seems to be pessimistic about the idea that an invasion was worthy, at all...
There was a case to be made for invasion...
The Administration's major mistake is that it did not persuade others of that case...particularly Iraqis, whose need for self-determination was overwhelmed by American ambitions for a free Iraq...
Had Iraqi opposition groups and their associated militias, and anyone interested in deposing Saddam Hussein, been consulted, up front...
Iraqis could have led this war...and Americans could have backed them with overwhelming force to demoralize the Baathist Army and anyone wanting to defend the Baathist Regime, with clearer distinctions about what this fight was about...Iraqi liberation...not a fight to protect Iraq's sovereignty...
Had the Europeans and other major democracies been brought on board...and had important Middle East partners, especially, like Egypt and Saudi Arabia (both of whom were part of the 1991 multinational coalition to push back Saddam Hussein from his aggressive efforts in Kuwait constructed by this President's father...and the better President of the two Bushes, I believe) been persuaded of the importance of deposing Saddam Hussein...
Then international and regional opposition and vehememence against America and American efforts -- the lifeblood of the insurgency and of terrorism in this region and otherwise -- could have been significantly undercut...and the insurgency and terrorist efforts of groups like Al Queda in Iraq would have lost an immense amount of political breathing space...
Instead...not only were these forces emboldened by our recklessness...
They now have a recruiting tool for future terrorism that they couldn't have invented better themselves...
All of this was unintentional, I think...
I genuinely believe that the Administration thought that it was trying to circumvent what it saw as a inefficient and unresponsive democratic response to the plight of Iraqis by the international community...
As well as an overwrought desire for power in international affairs that is now haunting them...
And they just got and shared with the rest of us the important lesson...
That democracy is a non-negotiable...
Especially when it comes to war...
That inequity in international affairs...has consequences...
That lording over the world...has consequences...
That engaging in unilateral aggressive action without the support of allies...has consequences...
And democracy and liberalization, like any virtue, cannot be imposed...they cannot...
They must be freely adopted and internalized by people...especially a population that has no experience with anything but tyranical rule much of its history...and particularly in the last 26 years, under the direct reign of Saddam Hussein...
Saddam's brutal reign...CNN...
It was a mistake to believe those things could be imposed...rather than supported and backed...including with as little aggressive action possible, when necessary...
And it was a tragic mistake that America and the world, liberals and conservatives, have made for much of the twentieth century...
And it is reassuring to see the Administration beginning -- just beginning, I think -- to recognize this mistake...in Iraq, at the very least...
Good for the Administration:):)...and for the President, if he too is beginning to recognize this, as well:):):)...
We'll see:):):)...
And even if he isn't:):):)...as many of his liberal and other critics are wont to believe (for understandable reasons:):):)...
He will:):):)...
It's morning in America:):):)...
Have a great day, everyone:):):)...
Love,
Ben
