From Paul R. Spitzzeri of Chino Hills: A total withdrawal is simply not feasible. A significant drawdown will likely take close to two years, but we’ll need to maintain thousands of troops in Iraq for an indefinite period. After 1,400 years of discord, Sunni and Shia factions are hardly likely to reverse their animosity any time soon. How can a democracy develop when 70% of Iraqis cannot read or write, women are second-class citizens, millions are tied to tightly-controlled tribal societies, and the educated and professional classes are in exile or in inertia?
The only viable economic product, oil, is now greatly underdeveloped and, as in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, Russia, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, is likely to be controlled by authoritarian governments in the absence of meaningful democratic conditions.
Writes Thomas W. McCarthy of Chino Hills:
The following seem to be indisputable facts:
—The expenditure of American lives stops as soon as the last American leaves the country.
—The loss of life, and damage to property of the Iraqi people directly resulting from American military action would cease upon withdrawal.
—The billions of dollars spent in this effort would be drastically reduced, if not eliminated altogether.
The following are very reasonable assumptions:
—The United States made a tragic mistake, including outright violations of inter-national law. It is very late, but it may not be too late to begin to correct the way the people of the world view our beloved country.
—The United States has a moral obligation to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Iraq. However, a small portion of the billions spent in destroying the country would have an enormous effect for good if spent helping people instead of killing them and destroying their homes.
—The threat of terrorism would be significantly reduced if we stopped our inhuman, illegal activities and spent our money and our energy in trying to make the world better instead of destroying it.
When millions of people have been forced from their homes and possibly more than 100,000 have died, I fail to see how the situation can get worse as a result of our withdrawal.
Says Tim Ricketson of Chino Hills:
No more American soldiers will die in Iraq.
No more innocent Iraqis will die at the hands of soldiers sent to war on false pre-tenses.
Billions of dollars will be saved, that can be used to rebuild our own infrastructure and schools and provide healthcare to millions.
Terrorists, which were not in Iraq before we started the war, will not have the “American enemy” to wage war against.
The war will no longer be a “recruitment tool” for al Qaeda, which is now stronger than ever, because of the war.
America can start rebuilding our image in the world by rejecting the aggressive pre-emptive war on a sovereign nation.
Iraq can go about rebuilding the country, running the oil fields, building the economy and establishing a government.
On the other hand, America will “lose face” in the minds of others. This seems as mall sacrifice compared to the pro side.
Chris Kober of Chino Hills has another point of view:
Don’t pull out. Figure it out.
The solution to the United States’ position in Iraq is not one of immediate action, but of rational discussion. There was obviously a rush to action in 2003 and similar haste in troop removal would result in an equally unpredictable outcome.
The removal of Saddam Hussein’s silently cruel stability and the ensuing upheaval has undoubtedly led to the skyrocketing oil prices. The immediate subtraction of the United States from the equation would lead to a civil war and more of the same. Any number of long term consequences would result once someone else grabs control.
While it may be tempting to cut one’s loses, or isolate from the rest of the world, or spread freedom to those who have never known it, level-headed conversation about the true consequences and effects of our action is the only way to find a correct solution.
Copyright 2008 - Champion Newspapers - Published May 31, 2008
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