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Politics : Stop the War! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (9137)	4/7/2003 12:39:32 PM
From: Doug R	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 21614

I firmly believe that the military invasion of Iraq was not justified as an effort of last resort. Although it is certainly too late to try any other means the lessons to be learned from this event are still forthcoming. In that context it should be necessary to continue to explore the history of the event dating back to the first Gulf War. Alternative means that could have been implemented should still be considered in an effort to focus on less blunt diplomacy as more desirable in the future. One alternative would have been to incrementally extend the no-fly zone until the areas under Baghdad's control was shrunken to insignificance while helping to establish democratic rule in the increasingly larger area outside of Baghdad's control. Give this area a name...market it...just like marketing a war. "Operation Iraqi Freedom" should have been "Greater Free Iraq". Encourage people to move from the Baghdad controlled area into "Greater Free Iraq" and let the Baathists slowly wither away as Iraqis learn the example created. Baghdad doesn't have to recognize it. Take the relevance of Baghdad out of the situation. With support from other Arab countries, especially Turkey and Jordan, that also wanted saddam removed, the area dubbed "Greater Free Iraq" (or whatever) would be recognized as the legitimate Iraq. To strengthen this goal, UN security council efforts could have been engineered and coordinated with the timing of establishing administrative benchmarks within "Greater Free Iraq". As the legitimate Iraq, it would have its own right to self defense which would justify the establishment of organized defense forces. Economic zones laid out to solidify progress would have included: Oil development projects with import/export systems tied into a flow of humanitarian aid. Civil projects initiated to bring Iraqis a greater sense of pride and control over their own lives. Incentives for outside investment to promote greater cohesion with the international community. Any attempt by Baghdad to prevent it with forces of its own would be responded to from a defensive position thereby taking away any grounds that support for "Greater Free Iraq" was offensive in nature. That would be LEADING them to democracy.