ahead 1 page to

Part 12

Iraq & A Hard Place Part 11 - 

The Road Ahead

23, 2003 82: AM CST

The end of the war draws near, but the real work in Iraq is just beginning. Obviously, we must rebuild Iraq. We must ensure that the new government respects the freedoms and human rights of its people. We have much work yet to do in the Middle East. And we must rebuild relations with our allies.

Our number one priority in the weeks ahead is rebuilding Iraq. We must quickly make it blindingly obvious that the average Iraqi is better off after the war than he was before it. More than anything else we can do, this will help dampen the anger on the Arab street. It will also help preempt any Iraqi civil unrest.

Fortunately, this should prove much easier in Iraq than in Afghanistan. Iraq’s infrastructure is largely obsolete and neglected, not to mention somewhat degraded or destroyed by our invasion. But Afghanistan essentially had no infrastructure to begin with. Furthermore Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, has a ready supply of a valuable natural resource: oil. Properly managed, this will help infuse the economy with much needed money.

Nevertheless, it will require a great commitment from the world – especially from the United States. By entering into this war, we have taken on Iraq as our responsibility. We must not shrink from our duty. The cost will be high, and not just monetarily. Among other things, we will have to keep a peacekeeping and administrative force in Iraq for an unforeseeable length of time. There is a danger that we will lose focus and move on to other issues. We must not let this happen.

As we rebuild Iraq, we must also rebuild its government. Ideally, this new government would be a full-fledged Jeffersonian democracy. This may prove overly ambitions, but we must push as close to this goal as we can get. Many, including President Bush, have argued that we should hand the government over to the Iraqis as soon as possible. I disagree. I think that we should manage the government for as long as it takes to return a good government to the Iraqis. If we simply replace one bad regime with another, we lose all hope of a long term solution.

In the interim, we must incubate a truly free press in Baghdad as soon as possible. The free flow of information is vital to a free society. The Arab world does not trust the western press, and is unlikely to start any time soon. But a truly free Arab press would carry tremendous influence. It would often annoy the American government, and even outrage the American people – especially at first. But over time, it will be our best ally in the region.

The influence of a free press will carry far beyond the borders if Iraq. Through internet and satellite feeds, an Iraqi free press will find its way into its neighbors. Truthful, reliable images and words of a prosperous Iraq will have a tremendous effect, as will harsh criticisms of the tyrannical regimes that still run the majority of the Middle East.

Unlike many of the neo-conservatives, I don’t envision the United States invading any more Arab countries. I don’t think we’ll need to. Armed with a strong vision of how much better life could be many Arab nations will reform themselves naturally. Iran in particular is on the cusp of such a change already. Moderates are gaining more influence in the government, and sowing the seeds for evolutionary change. Faced with stark visions of how bad their own governments really are, the Arab street will have a better target for its wrath than the United States. Once more, the key is a free Arab press.

Finally, we have to repair our damaged alliances. All of the steps listed above will have a positive impact on our foreign relations. Even so, we must take an active approach towards reconciliation. I do not believe, as many do, that the days of NATO or the UN are numbered. Nor do I believe that the world will simply fall in line once they see that we were right. Our diplomats have challenges ahead of them. But they are solvable problems.

It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Back to Intro

Part 12