But Machiavelli pointed out long ago that one reason invaders who don't speak the language, practice the religion or know the customs of the country they invade have a hard time in the long run if they don't kill an large number of people (preferably all of them), is that they will never be trusted, even if they do help to overthrow a hated ruler.
That's if you're an invader with the intent to colonize. But that clearly is not the role the US, or more importantly, the American public would permit.
It's evident that our soldiers don't like being in the Mid-East. And I don't like it either. It's not as pretty as Europe. There's no skiing. It's hot and dusty. You can't kick up your feet (at least in public). It's generally a place we're not going to be inclined to remain in any longer than necessary.
It's their country Sam. But now country is monolithic, and Iraq is no exception. It's divided, partisan, rebellious, revengeful, and deprived of a sense of self-dignity because of the actions of the Baathist regime that controlled and oppressed it. It's going to take quite a period of time to alter this reality, probably 10 years at least to stabilize the society.
It's going to require teaching toleration and modernization to its young people (I hear that the Arab version of Sesame Street is extremely popular there), while trying to manage the current chaos there..
Which means they have to own the problem. The solution resides with them. What we should be tasked with is maintaining integrity of borders, assist with internal security when necessary, and act as a generally unbiased referee and mentor to the various segments of the society.
It's called nation building. It's not easy.. It's something Bush claimed he didn't want to be involved in. But it's the only thing that is going to effectively fight and defeat the Islamic Militant death cults seeking to dominate the region.
Hawk |
