Radical Avenue

All signs point to a big victory for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawa party in Iraq’s provincial elections. Dawa enjoyed strong support in Basra, Baghdad and towns along the Tigris river.

Peace and Participation
Not all provinces voted, and many Kurds living in northern Iraq would rather declare their independence. However participation in al-Anbar province was high and the overall level of violence was low. These developments must encourage Iraqi voters. They are creating a vibrant post-Saddam democracy in a diverse, complicated country.

Blackwater Out
Prime Minister al-Maliki undoubtedly benefited from the sharp decrease in bombings and assassinations in Iraq over the past few months. But he also exercised sound political judgment by not renewing the operating license of Blackwater Worldwide. Blackwater Worldwide is currently providing security for US and Iraqi public officials.

Cutting Blackwater loose demonstrates to Iraqis that their prime minister is willing to act independently of the US when it comes to the security of Iraq.

Blackwater’s exit also helps the US cause. It shows that we are on our way out and that representatives of our country in Iraq will be subject to US laws and the US military code of conduct.

When the senior Senator from Arizona indicated that he would be comfortable with a 100 year US military presence in Iraq, he let slip a dirty little secret about the Bush-McCain vision for the Middle East. The neo-cons have been planning on establishing permanent US bases in Iraq all along. Welcome to Ft. Baghdad kid. Here we have no demilitarized zones.

South Koreans Friendly, Iraqis Hostile
In Korea, we sided with the friendly South Koreans against our mutual enemy, the North Koreans. Iraq is not divided in this manner. In Iraq, the enemy lurks around every corner. Our forces can’t retreat to the south because Hussein’s army was defeated 5 years ago.

The traditional war in Iraq ended in 2003. The insurgency began later that year, followed by a sectarian civil war. Now our soldiers are left to police the streets of neighborhoods where many residents continue to harbor an ill will towards them. Iraq has no population of citizens comparable to our allies, the South Koreans.

They’re Not Standing Up, We’re Not Standing Down
For years George Bush gave Americans optimistic reports about the new Iraqi military. Bush said as they stand up, we’ll stand down. But Iraqi troops are still deserting in the heat of battle, and militia groups are still active in places like Basra and Sadr City.

George Bush has no intention of even considering a withdrawal from Iraq. He will instead pass two wars on to his successor, having utterly failed to resolve either one.

Nation Building All Over Again
Iraq is George Bush’s Vietnam. The US Military patrols the villages in support of a weak and corrupt central government, while the citizens cling tightly to the words of their own local religious leaders.

John McCain, George Bush, Iraq, Nation Building

Vice President Cheney had it right in 1994 when he predicted that toppling the Hussein government in Iraq would create a “quagmire”. Now, after five years of nation building, nearly 4,000 American soldiers dead and $500 billion spent, Mr. Cheney has declared the war in Iraq a “successful endeavor”. Of course this is the same guy who, on August 26, 2002, said this:

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.

On that day Cheney was either incredibly misinformed or completely dishonest. In either case, he was wrong. America can’t afford to get it wrong when it comes to the reasons for invading another country, especially one that has never attacked us. Virtually anyone could have predicted all of the problems we’re now having in Iraq.

Hostile Towards Us
The historical animosity of Arabs toward western civilization goes all the way back to the Crusades. Today many people in that region disagree with our strong support of Israel, or the presence of US troops on what they consider their holy land. Some Iraqis benefited from Hussein’s rule, battled us in 1991 and are still fighting us now. Even with only 1% of the Iraqi population actively targeting Americans, in a country of 27 million, we’re up against a homegrown insurgent force of 270,000.

Hostile Towards Each Other
After decades of iron fisted rule by Saddam Hussein, many aggrieved Iraqis had old scores to settle. Tribal and spiritual leaders exert a strong influence in this part of the world. The religious and ethnic rivalries are well documented. Post Saddam sectarian strife was inevitable.

Hostile Neighborhood
Syria and Saudi Arabia support Sunnis living in western Iraq. Iran supports the majority Shiite. The Kurds of northern Iraq have stepped up their battle with the Turkey. At least we still have Kuwait on our side.

Cheney, Iraq

When it comes to US Military involvement in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats offer sharply different visions for our future. Democrats want to begin withdrawing troops immediately and Republicans want to stay longer. John McCain even mentioned the possibility of a 100 year American commitment. Does a long term US military presence in a foreign country really make the world safer? The record is unclear.

Where We Stayed
Korea
We’ve had our troops stationed in Korea since the Truman administration. While this has allowed democratic South Korea to prosper, communist North Korea is as belligerent as ever.

Kosovo
About a week ago, the citizens of Kosovo declared their independence from Serbia. Now our soldiers must try to keep the peace among warring factions a decade after we first began providing security in the Balkan states.

Okinawa
Our Navy has been stationed in Japan since World War II. Sadly, the criminal acts of some soldiers reflect badly on our entire country. We may have worn out our welcome in Okinawa but there’s little chance of Japan attacking the US anytime soon.

Where We Left
Vietnam
The US has enjoyed relatively positive relations with Vietnam since we withdrew in the 1970s. In 2006, our two countries agreed to normalized trade relations. The socialist government of Vietnam has not invaded its neighbors or threatened the United States. And although Saigon is still known as Ho Chi Minh City, communism has not spread throughout Southeast Asia as we were warned of in the 1960s.

Somalia
Somalia has remained volatile since we left after the Black Hawk Down debacle in 1993. As a lawless country, it remains a haven for terrorists and other criminals, but the danger seems to be contained for now.

Lebanon
Fortunately our troops left Lebanon in the 1980s and are no longer directly engaged with the Palestinian militant groups there. Many Lebanese citizens live in relative comfort, but ongoing hostilities with Israel mean more clouds on the horizon.

Korea, Kosovo, Okinawa, Vietnam, Somalia, Lebanon

I would have done much better in college if I had been able to grade myself. In fact I would have aced every test and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I may not have learned much though. If I had been able to grade myself, I would have spent even more time at the bars and even less time in the library.

It makes no sense to allow someone to grade their own performance. That’s why the breathlessly hyped testimony of General Petraeus before Congress was such a farce. General Petreaus has been tasked with making the military “surge” in Iraq work. What is he supposed to say: I’m doing a lousy job and need to be fired?

An independent evaluation of US progress in Iraq is of much greater value. Based on the recent GAO report to Congress, we’re not faring very well. But as usual, the mass media outlets aren’t looking for an impartial assessment of the situation. They’re looking for drama. They figured they would get more fireworks from the General’s testimony than they would from some unknown accountant citing verifiable facts and figures.

General Petraeus, Iraq, Iraq War, Petraeus testimony, GAO report