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On IraqIraq: A Lose - Lose Situation?The Iraqi war of liberation is over but the battle for a civil government and Iraqi personal freedom is just beginning. While I had thought the Iraqi war would be longer and bloodier for both sides, I am glad I was wrong. However, it would seem that would be tyrants and demigods had a different plan in mind for dealing with the power of the coalition. While others were fighting and dying to liberate them, some Iraqis were plotting on how to benefit from Saddam’s ouster. These people realized that a power vacuum would be created by Saddam’s defeat and plotted on how best to take advantage of this vacuum. Neighboring countries also have had amble time and opportunity to plan for Iraq’s future, based on each country’s vision of themselves and the area. Political and religious leaders are often opportunistic; they wait for or help create a weakness that can be exploited to their advantage. The Shiite leaders of Iraq appear to be employing this method. Without great risk, they waited until someone else’s effort brought their liberation and now they want to institute their own brand of tyranny. Why are the Iraqis so willing to demonstrate against the force that fought for their liberation? Because they know they are safe to do so. But if these same Iraqis had been willing to fight for their rights, the coalition would have been unneeded. If things were so bad under Saddam, why didn’t these same Iraqi marchers unite to liberate themselves? Some clergy may have spoken out and suffered but from the numbers now showing up and demanding to control the new government, most must have acted as moles and surfaced only after others did for them what they were unwilling to do: risk their personal safety. The battle of wits and wills is now in progress and I am afraid the coalition failed to plan for this battle. If they had, there would have been a clear-cut and immediate response to the unrest that developed. People marching instead of trying to rebuild speaks volumes for previously made plans. Many of these same marchers and protesters probably were quiet Saddam backers who now seek to control through a new government what they wanted but could not achieve under Saddam. Many are undoubtedly seeking power to punish others; power to create a state-backed religion. Iraq may well become another quagmire and a losing proposition. A lose-lose situation based on the inability to institute a form of government based on a new to-be-written Constitution that can guarantee personal as well as religious freedom to all the people of Iraqi. History shows that it usually takes a worse tyrant to keep lesser tyrants in line. A Constitution is only a piece of paper unless it captivates the hearts and minds of the nation’s leaders and of those it is to guide. Unless the people the Constitution is written by and for are willing to relinquish some freedoms in order to provide freedom to others, a Constitution will not last beyond the first arguments. A democratic type government cannot take root in the minds of people who don’t understand its concepts or its values. The Iraqi’s concept of freedom and personal responsibility may well be to pass that problem to someone else - someone that is either a political or a religious leader. Iraqi’s liberation provides an opportunity for lesser tyrants to emerge. People who are use to relying on their clergy for direction have a difficult time with democracy. Religious directives are part of Iraqi’s heritage and until a respected religious leader steps forward to promote a civil government, the United States, its allies, or the UN are attempting to start a fire with only wet wood and short, damp matches. Also, if you have always lived under oppression, freedom is something to fear. If you are use to constraints and some assistance, removing them promotes uncertainty and fear. Freedom means different things to different people. Freedom to some means being given what they want when they want it. To some freedom means being taken care of, to others freedom means the pain of personal responsibility. Freedom to someone who has never experienced it is scary; it means living without the accustomed supports. For freedom to have meaning, it must be earned and sought after. If given it will almost always be treated as an unwelcome present - to be returned at the first opportunity.
After Word: I am not saying our soldiers aren't doing a good job, but I am saying their leadership is suspect. President Bush, as Commander In Chief, must take the blame but did he trust too heavily in those that planned and ran the Iraqi war or his advisors? Author: Don Miller
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2003 Articles |
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