The Washington Outsider


Withdraw from Iraq: good idea?

Previously published on February 20, 2008

The US military was intended to be subjugated to the American people as it is an extension of the Federal Government; the President serves as the Commander and Chief while declaration of war and war funding must be initiated by Congress. As such, war is always a political issue that must be continuously debated with the American people to justify and earn their support for a war; as America is a democracy, citizens have the right to end war, whether or not those actions are the most prudent.

Through Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates, the Bush administration has announced the war in Iraq will not tie the hands of the next president to leave the conflict.  This demonstrates an understanding of democracy that George W. Bush has often failed to grasp as his definition of the presidency often appears to resemble that of an elected dictatorship. Furthermore, although the conflicts of Vietnam and Iraq have many similarities, people often overdraw analogies to dramatize and equate the two situations; the ends may or may not result in the same fates, but the beginnings point to failures that both conflicts share as a result of misinformation, misunderstanding, arrogance, impulsiveness, and, most importantly, a total lack of open, honest discussion.

Whether or not Iraq is able to stabilize into a coherent peaceful nation, George W. Bush needs to be remembered as the president that arrogantly and impulsively rushed into a war that should have been a well debated relatively quick military campaign against a sadistic sponsor of state terrorism followed by a political reconciliation. Instead, the behavior of the Bush administration resulted in a poorly justified attack that defied the international community, after we requested their approval for action, and crushed a nation's infrastructure while sparking a civil war that invited terrorists into a country that previously had no such connection to Al Qaeda. 

Furthermore, the Bush administration pushed the notion that the terrorists responsible for attacking America were somehow directed by the Iraqi government, a notion that was later discounted as a misconception that the Bush administration held without significant or creditable evidence. The most unfortunate result of propagandizing this war is that many Americans are still under this misconception, and thus, the focus of the War on Terror remains on Iraq instead of Afghanistan and nuclear Pakistan where Osama Bin Laden is believed to be hiding in the uncontrolled Northern providences.

Accentuating the failures of Iraq is not a move to demonize the Bush administration, but rather, an attempt to force America to act more judiciously when planning military action in the future. Within an economic context, the Iraq war is indebting young Americans to rising economic powers like China and, as our relative standing falls, military operations and disruptions in supplies have increased the cost of petroleum, thus, the prices of all goods have risen; the economic prospective leads to the conclusion that Iraq is a poor investment. 

Militarily, the most powerful nation is bogged down which means a longer response time when crisis arises elsewhere and a lack of ability to pressure nations like North Korea and Iran as they pursue nuclear technology. Additionally, experienced military personal are exhausted to the breaking point in all branches, especially the Special Forces. Furthermore, terrorist groups have been emboldened as they have seen that they can standup to the American war machine with a smaller force while continuing operations worldwide and using Iraq as a training camp for future terrorists.

Diplomatically, the majority of the world has lost respect for the United States and pulling out before Iraq stabilizes will probably reinforce those views. The Nation needs to remember what a President's behavior cost us and what it is going to cost us, but this will do little to resolve the current chaos in Iraq.

Cutting losses and halting major military operations in Iraq while things are going well would be more beneficial to the United States in the long run than fighting a losing battle as the Iraqi national government is a joke and those tribal leaders helping stamp out violence are doing so to help America leave their country. If the US pulls out when the Iraq conflict is on the down turn, it will certainly hurt the reputation of the US more than it if a pullout occurs before the Country falls apart again; at some point, the US must reduce our military footprint in Iraq if not only for our own interests. 

On the other hand, the US can still achieve a stable Iraq; such a scenario would be more ideal than leaving with the Iraqi military and police unprepared to deal with violence under a government which will likely corrupt those security forces and turn the Nation into a state worse than when Saddam Hussein was in power. In order to find a solution, the debate on Iraq must be revitalized now, while it must focus on producing an end of conflict strategy for the US along with a mission and strategy for US forces post major military operations. Otherwise, US losses will continue to mount and Americans will be polarized to the positions of stay or leave; this discussion cannot be an emotional conflict as such a conflict is fated to end in an eventual pullout. Basically, a stay-the-course argument ultimately leads to leaving Iraq unprepared for the long term.

A stable Iraq will provide another ally to America in the Middle East while demonstrating that even though America acted impulsively and irresponsibly, it did take responsibility for its actions. This can only happen, however, if pro-Iraq war supporters step down from a stay-the-course stance and move toward a position that adequately deals with the conflict and the consequences of staying in that conflict; only then will those who want to immediately leave Iraq support a resolution that will finish this conflict properly. Political reconciliation must occur now as by the time a new President is elected, it will likely be too late.

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        • Corporate America Pleads the First
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      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
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      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
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      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
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    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
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      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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