Iraq

Iraq, cradle of civilization.

I am feeling just a little deceived on this issue. And talk about waffling. There appear to be new reasons each week as to exactly why we invaded. Saddam was a 'bad' man, we are going after the terrorists before they come after us, there were WMD, he was trying to re-establish his nuclear weapons program, we are spreading democracy throughout the Middle East. Let's pick one and stick with it! I think that few reasonable individuals would argue with the invasion of Afghanistan after September 11. Clearly, a State sponsoring terrorist activity within its borders. But Bush has turned foreign policy on its head.

First, he abandons the anti-ballistic missile treaty, then the Kyoto accords, then the International Court of Justice, not to mention the United Nations. No one can argue that these are perfect agreements or institutions, but they are steps on a path toward multilateral engagement and problem solving in a collective. Instead we have a stated policy of pre-emption which allows us to use overt aggression as we see fit, because we know what's best. Or should I say, because George W. Bush knows what's best. I thought that blind trust in our elected officials went out the door with Vietnam and Watergate.

Unfortunately, now, what do we do? Some propose that we leave as quickly as possible. I think that this is probably a mistake. The best that could be hoped for in that situation is an uneasy three way alliance between Kurds, Sunnis, and Shias. The worst scenario would be civil war. It is going to take a long time to establish the institutions necessary for reasonable representative government, and thus, I fear that we will be involved heavily for the long-term. That does not mean that we should not get ourselves out as soon as possible, but it will require a massive international effort that understandably, is just not there right now.

Fighting terrorism. The thrust of much of our efforts overseas, but the most interesting point in this policy of ours, and one that is ignored by the administration, is that we are probably encouraging terrorist recruitment and activity. Terrorism flourishes under political instability and social unrest. Just the situation we are seeing in Iraq today. Maybe, we should not be promoting governments that are oppressive and maybe we should be looking for alternatives to our dependence on that one critical fossil fuel. Engagement and social change - these are powerful forces.

Here is an interesting article in The New Yorker - The New Yorker: Fact