What Was Changed By Iraq War?

The war in Iraq has become the political centerpiece in the White House, Congress and in media reporting. At the heart of the matter is the answer to three questions. Has the war been a success or irretrievable failure? Will the war be "won" or will the war be "lost"? Was the war worth the cost?

There is another question which requires answering. What has changed as a result of the war in Iraq? Here is my list for the consideration and comment of Herald readers:

1) Saddam Hussein has been toppled and executed along with many of his cohorts.

2) An elective form of government is in place which should be responsive to the will of the majority.

3) The northern part of Iraq inhabited mostly by the Kurds is relatively peaceful and prosperous.

4) Terrorist groups have pursued a form of guerrilla warfare, employing suicide bombers, which has killed some U.S. military and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

5) Millions of Iraqis have fled Iraq, primarily for safety reasons.

6) Baghdad and its environs is the most turbulent and unsafe area in Iraq.

7) The countries surrounding Iraq are generally unhappy with the presence of the 160,000 U.S. military in Iraq.

8) Because the access to the internet in Iraq has increased exponentially, Iraqis are generally better informed than ever before.

9) The Shiites of Iraq substantially outnumber the Sunnis and are now making their desire for control, evidenced through militias.

10) The Iraqi government has indicated that it would like the U.S. military to "stand down" in Iraq and let the government run the country.

Looking at these 10 changes I believe gives us the answer as to whether or not our venture in Iraq has been a success or failure and worth the cost in money and military deaths and injuries (physical and emotional).

In looking at the current Iraq government, it is now reasonable to tell them they are the elected government of all the people and we hope and expect that they will use their power judiciously to protect the rights and safety of the Sunni minority and the Kurds.

It is reasonable to tell them that we will stand down militarily by June 30, 2008. It is reasonable to tell them that after that date our military involvement, if any, will be in conjunction with NATO and/or the United Nations. It is reasonable to maintain a diplomatic dialogue with all the countries around Iraq.

I believe that the Middle East has been changed irrevocably by our involvement in Iraq. I believe that we will probably end up with a long-term military involvement in the Middle East, which will affect the way things operate in that part of the world.

One unexpected result of Iraq has been the escalation of most conservative worldwide Muslim communities in their anarchistic violent undertakings. The climate for recruiting young Muslims to blow themselves up to curry Allah’s favor has apparently improved. But the mandate was always there as evidenced by the 9/11 incidents.

The war on terrorism is a long-term reality. Aside from Iraq we are spending a lot of money to fight it and that "wartime budget" will continue for a very long time. We probably have about 50 million Muslim potential guerrillas scattered around the world. How the civilized international community will handle that reality will be one of the major challenges of the 21^st century.

At the end of the day the war in Iraq has been neither a success or a failure. At the end of the day the war in Iraq has neither been won or lost. At the end of the day it is hard to judge whether the war in Iraq was worth the price in April 2007; it will be interesting to answer that question in April 2012.

Bill Markle

Braintree

____________