Happy Third Birthday, Iraq War!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iyad Allawi
"It is unfortunate that we are in civil war. We are losing each day an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more," former interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told British Broadcasting Corp. "If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."
Sadly, as naive and simplistic as the macho good vs. evil rhetoric in support of the war was, the current anti-war protests are just as bad, if not worse. If the international forces leave now, the ensuing bloodbath will make the casualties up to this point look like a schoolyard brawl. American soldiers are not the cause of the current killing, they just removed the one bastard cruel enough to keep it in check.
Leaving now will also give genuine terrorist groups free license to operate unchecked in a territory lacking a genuine government with consensus or clout. The spectre of Muqtada Al-Sadr as the rightfully elected leader of a democratic Iraq is very real; if this happens Sunnis will have genuine reason to fear. Even if it doesn't, Al-Zarqawi & his goons won't respect any central government, ensuring the cycle of violence continues. The Bush administration's hope that an established government will have the credibility to stem sectarian violence is a false one, at least within the next several years. This tension has existed since the country's artificial founding, and new politicians won't make it go away.
Any believable commentary I've read expects the situation to continue for another 10-30 years. It's at the point where I can't even follow it on a daily basis, because the news is either filtered or depressing.
So happy birthday Iraq War, it is the third of many. And if Ahmadinejad in Iran doesn't calm down, you'll have a little brother soon.
