Now that the surge has worked and the United States military and diplomatic efforts are succeeding, the debate should shift toward whether or not it was worth the costs...IT WAS.
Saddam Hussein and his sons are dead. They will kill torture and torment the world no more. Since the invasion of Kuwait the United States foreign policy and military efforts have been forced to focus on Iraq and what this mad man might do. The current government of Iraq cannot muster an attack on Kuwait, Iran, or any of its neighbors. Whatever the Iraqi government becomes after we leave, they will be consumed with internal politics and power for quite some time.
After we defeated Saddam and his ilk, Al Qaeda decided Iraq is the battlefield they would fight us on. They felt that in Iraq, not Afghanistan or the United States, is where they would make their stand. They have lost that gamble. After sacrificing thousands of recruits and the entire Bush presidency to defeat our military, they are routed and headed back to the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Good. Hide there. We will see you soon. Since 9-11 we have not allowed a sanctuary around the world. This one too will come crashing down on these murderers.
We know that recently yellow cake uranium was removed from Iraq. This will never find its way to terrorist or be used by Saddam to create a bomb. While no link exists between Saddam and Al Qaeda, he did pay the families of suicide bombers in Israel. This was a man who WOULD use terror if it suited him. 9-11 showed dictators that maybe terror was a way you could strike the US. George Bush showed all dictators we can and will take action. As a result Libya volunteered it's nuclear program. The North Korean nuclear problem is also in a better state than pre-Iraq war. Neither was possible without the war.
Today in Iraq we have our largest base in the Middle East. Just miles from the border of Iran the mightiest military in the world makes a home. Children don't act up as much when their parents are near by. The Iranians are full of bluster and media shows. But they are well aware they cannot strike Israel or allow a terrorist attack to be planned on their soil. Either would result in their destruction. While many pundits talk about Iran's new strength, they have also been dealt a defeat in Iraq. Their economy is in shambles and their bad faith negotiations are about to lead to more sanctions. The Iranians are also stuck on internal problems.
The Iraqi people have voted once and just might be on their way to a Democracy. With luck, they may vote again before our elections in November. Do you remember the purple fingers from Iraq and Afghanistan as people cast their first real votes? I do. Today in Iraq there is a free press. Local muscle like Muqtada al-Sadr has been forced to put down their arms in order to maneuver for upcoming elections. Elections. ELECTIONS! Made possible by the war in Iraq.
Finally and least importantly, the Iraqi economy is showing signs of life. Their oil exports are becomings stable and exceeding pre-war levels. In the next ten years they could increase dramatically depending upon development. Markets are open. The people are returning. Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq is an advanced and civilized country. It's people will thrive. We will soon get out of their way. The Iraqi war has changed the Middle East and the world. Over the next ten years, we will see by how much. History will judge. But if the past is our guide, Democracy will be good for Iraq, the Iraqis and the world.
Wars take time. They cost lives. They cost treasure. This war is in an entire region with agents spread around the world. We currently fight it in Iraq, Afghanistan, in the Philippians, in Africa and at home. In Iraq and Afghanistan we have learned much about our enemy. We are winning in both. Our military is more experienced and capable than ever before. The technology for modern and counter-insurgency military operations has been dramatically improved.
For all these benefits we should be grateful. Our soldiers are heroes. Everyone who died should know they did not die in vain. They died with honor. Fighting for freedom. Fighting to keep the world safe. Someday I hope a monument will stand in Iraq honoring them. Not built by us, or requested by the US. Built by Iraqis, honoring their liberation. I salute every soldier and thank them for their service. It was worth it. You country is proud.
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4 comments:
What are you talking about?
What threat from Iraq?
And who are you to make judgements on another culture that the west has a history of NOT UNDERSTANDING?
This is another people, another culture, in another land. Who are you to say what's right or wrong for them or that their government is bad?
What arrogance!
It was, from my understanding, about $3,000 a second for this stupid war. It's cost will go into the trillions when it's all said and done with.
And what for . . . just because a handful of people did a bad thing?
What's next . . . attacking a nation because we THINK they might do something?
Who is going to be villainized next?
I wonder which country the U.S. find fault with . . . and find a reason to attack?
When will this paranoid delusion end?
Me, and alot of the world, are sick of these stupid ridiculous villainizing and criminilizing of people and their governments and what they "might" do.
It seems to me, and alot of other people, that the U.S. is the one attacking and threatening everyone. Iraq and Al Queda are small peanuts in comparison.
They're not marching armies around the world.
They're not spending trillions of dollars.
They're not trying to change the world to their point of view.
IRAQ WAS NOT WORTH IT!!!
It's a pathetic joke from a paranoid delusional, self-righteous, and arrogant country who seems to think they are what's right in the world, as if they are the only ones who stand for anything in the world.
This joke, called the 'war on terror' has gone way far and beyond what was needed or necessary. It brought out one of the worst sides of that other joke: the U.S.
Never have I been so disgusted and appaled in my life.
Nothing sickens me more than how Mr. America hides behind all his high cause and high principals, as if it is the only thing in the world.
Me and alot of other people are sick of 'freedom and democracy' as the solution to the worlds problems, particularly when it's forced onto people militarily. Didn't the Catholics profess they were saving the worlds souls when they forced their beliefs onto people? Didn't the British profess to be 'civlilizing the backward people of the world'? Didn't the Soviet Union profess to be liberating the world from the oppressive bourgeoise (The workers of the world unite!).
Yeah, everyone has a line.
Yeah, everyone believes their values.
Yeah, everyone thinks their views are the best for the world.
But they were all tragedies, just as this has become a tragedy.
Another arrogant people thinking they are the answer.
But what does freedom and democracy have to do with the 'war on terror'?
Nothing.
The U.S. uses it to glorify itself and it's principals, to make it 'right' (just as this author has done).
The U.S. got too carried away with itself.
It got too high and mighty.
As a result . . . it got out of control.
The U.S. has dragged to many people into this, villainized and criminilized too many people, attacked too many people, threatened too many people, bullied too many people, lied to too many people, and spent too much money for this.
And what has it done?
Piss the world off!
And it should.
This country didn't have to go rompin around the world with it's military attacking people and governments.
It didn't have to criminalize people and governments who haven't even done anything to us, claiming they are going to attack us.
It didn't have to try to 'democratize' the world, which is nothing but forcing their views onto people, much like the Catholics did when they tried to 'convert' the world.
It didn't have to find fault with everyone and use it as a pretext to attack or bully them.
The U.S. didn't have to do alot of things.
The British had similar problems when they had their 'world empire' and they never acted like this.
Ever since the 90's I've called the U.S. the 'bully of the world'.
This prooves it.
This is an example of why America is where it is today, an militarized police state, an empire hated by the world. If anyone believes these wars are about our freedom they are correct they are about taking it away. This article is just another example of the ignorance and the do no wrong mentality of Americans.
all that is missing in this article is the usual kill them all and let God sort em out. Or lets make a parking lot out of them. I am sick of people like this and it is the doom of our once great country.
Thanks for noticing I left out [usual kill them all and let God sort em out]. I try to be an adult and make my arguments rather than just being mean.
Call it an Empire if you want. But the age of American Capitalism has done more good for this world than any other force in History. If the age of Western dominance is over; then it is a sad sad day for people all over the world.
it took how long to find this supposed yellowcake uranium, even though that is not enough yellow cake to make a dirty bomb, and plus bush said that there was full blown nuclear missiles, where are they. Second iraq is free so what does that do for or country, with the patriot act our freedom at home is disappearing, and our freedom is all that matters to me
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