Iraq After Six Months: Positives and Negatives



It’s been six months since the US-led invasion of Iraq. $87 billion (1) and 8500 dead Iraqi civilians later (2), American soldiers are still dying in Iraq. Yet, many questions remain unanswered. Why are American soldiers still dying every day? Where are the purported terrorist links? And where are the fabled weapons of mass destruction?

Let’s start by establishing some facts. This war was never about terrorism, nor was it about weapons of mass destruction. CIA officials have been cited as saying that the war has increased the chances of another 9/11, and Saddam was probably the most hostile dictator to terrorists in the region. If we were truly serious about a weapons threat, there are much better targets to attack than run-down Iraq.

But, against the astronomical human and monetary costs we must weigh the benefits. Although some 8500 Iraqi civilians have perished in the war, countless more have been saved from the hand of a brutal Stalinist dictator. Most Iraqi soldiers did not even fight against the United States and instead preferred to sit out the war on the sidelines. Thousands of children of 5 to 10 years of age have been released from political prisons, where they were being held by Saddam Husayn for the beliefs of their parents (3). Iraqis are allowed to practice their religion without the fear of being persecuted. The 30-year old guerilla war in Kurdistan has come to a close, and finally Kurds, Sunnis, Shi’ites, and Turkomen are living side by side in (relative) harmony. Thousands of reform-minded Iraqi-Americans are returning to their country after years in exile. And the first steps toward democracy have been made.

71% of Iraqis interviewed in a recent Gallup poll said they do not want to see US troops leave at this time (4). If democracy is able to bear fruit in Iraq, the effects could spread to its neighbors who have long lived under autocratic governments. And there has never been a war in history with two democratic countries in conflict with each other.

However, the same poll indicated that only 58% of Iraqis view the behavior of American troops positively. 13 unarmed protestors were shot to death by US troops in Falluja in April (5), and US tanks bulldozed fruit trees owned by Iraqi farmers in another operation (6). Abuses like these must stop if we are to win the war over the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, the most important war.

The claim that the war was about oil has never been substantiated, as oil is the only Iraqi industry to remain nationalized. But whether the war was justified or not, the US now have an obligation to rebuild Iraq. The US have an opportunity to prove their critics wrong and do genuine good in Iraq. To withdraw our soldiers now would mean to plunge Iraq into anarchy and tribal warfare, and failed states are ideal breeding grounds for terrorists. In the words of an Iraqi doctor, “If you had to have surgery, would you want the doctor to stop half way through and go play a game of golf or take a lunch break? Of course not, but when he's done, you want him to stitch you up, pack up and go home.” (7) The US are neck-deep in the Iraqi quagmire, and there is no turning back at this point.

And if democracy, peace, and prosperity do prevail in the Middle East, how many lives will that be worth?

David Casey
October 2003



Sources:
1. Washington Post. “House Passes Iraq Aid Package”. 31 October 2003
2. www.iraqbodycount.com
3. news24. “Iraqi Children Prisoners Freed.” 04 August 2003
4. USA Today. “Most in Baghdad want troops to stay”. 14 October 2003
5. BBC. “Protesters shot in Falluja”. 30 April 2003
6. The Independent. “US soldiers bulldoze farmers’ crops.” 12 October 2003
7. Smoke and Ashes. “As they say, history tends to repeat itself.”03 October 2003