written by James Daly
(james_daly_ca@hotmail.com)
The situation in Iraq, regardless of UN bickering and posturing, will come to a head this week. Forget the diplomats and forget the UN proposals that would stretch out the inspections indefinitely. Most importantly, forget what all those talking heads on cable news are saying. If you want to truly understand the situation, watch what America and her allies do, rather than what they say. While last minute diplomacy continues, it should be clear to all that we are indeed on the brink of war.
It has long been understood that actions speak louder than words in the Middle East, and luckily for the Iraqi people, America, Britain and others understand this as well.
While France and Russia have unleashed their diplomats across the globe, American and British forces are girding for war. While France lauds the UNMOVIC inspectors, which ironically they never voted to support in 1999, American and British forces in Kuwait have been issued ammunition and offered their last hot meals. While France threatens to veto any new UN resolution, regardless of content, The United States has forward deployed their invisible bomber, the B-2, for the first time ever.
Actions, my friends, speak louder than words.
So with these actions, we finally find ourselves on the brink. For all the talk of the so-called ‘rush to war’ by the liberal media, the glacial build-up of forces has been, if anything, painstakingly slow and precise. And now, nearly six months after asking the UN and the world to help disarm the Iraqi madman, the most powerful and potent invasion force ever assembled is ready to act. And act they will.
Some would suggest that we are on the brink of catastrophe, rather than a swift and decisive victory in Iraq. They argue that this war will incite more terror and more violence, sending the entire Middle East up in flames. Narrow thinking may point many to this conclusion, but this is clearly a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Iraq has always enjoyed primacy in the Middle East, and by ridding this key nation of its tyrant we will have initiated a process sure to have positive repercussions throughout the Arab world.
So yes, we are on the brink, but not of some cataclysm. We find ourselves instead on the brink of a new era in international relations, peace and security, all of which literally hinge on the liberation of Iraq.
The immediate results of the liberation will come in the form of freedom. Initially, we may witness this on the streets of soon to be familiar places such as Kirkuk, Mosul and Al Basrah as the so-called ‘invaders’ are welcomed with dancing, song and joy. As victory is cemented, this freedom will spread, finally including sprawling Baghdad where we are sure to see more than a few of Saddam’s palaces plundered by his once subjects.
How can we be assured of this? According to some, democracy can’t work in the Middle East. There are too many obstacles, too many old grudges and too little education for it to work. Truth be told, democracy can and will work in the Middle East, and it will be stunning. To suggest otherwise is not only deplorable, but quite frankly is racist. Imagine the uproar if these same fools were to go on CNN and proclaim that black Africa is incapable of self-rule. They would be rightly vilified and ostracized. We are no more human here in the West than our counterparts in the Arab world, and regardless of religion, cultural background or education, all human beings crave freedom.
Democracy will no longer be a Western ideal, only witnessed in bootlegged Hollywood movies in the back allies of Baghdad. It will be tangible. From a vigorous free-press to elected representation, Iraqis will not turn their back once they have tasted freedom. They will grab hold and create a uniquely Iraqi system that will henceforth be a model for the entire region. They industrious people of Iraq, with their vast natural resources, will build a prosperous nation like no other Arab nation in history.
The second major step will come in the form of a renewed peace initiative in Israel and Palestine. Removing Saddam will go a long way toward creating a secure Israel and a free Palestine. Palestinians have always viewed the Iraqi dictator as ‘Uncle Saddam’, but with his hatred, and more importantly, his money gone, the Palestinians will realize that the path to peace is not through terrorism and incitement but rather through cooperation with their neighbours.
The Israelis will also be buoyed by the overthrow of Saddam, who they have rightfully viewed as an existential threat. Removing the single greatest obstacle to stability from the region and the single biggest supporter of terrorism will go a long way toward ensuring Israeli security. The United States has always enjoyed a unique relationship with Israel, and is the only nation on earth that can successfully steer its domestic and Palestinian policies.
With the victory in Iraq, and having shown its willingness to lean on Israel, the United States will win over the Palestinian moderates, and will thus find itself in the unique position of being able to successfully twist both Israeli and Palestinian arms, which will surely be needed to find a lasting and just peace. Failure to act in Iraq will forever cast the United States as a paper-tiger to the Arab street, emboldening the Palestinian extremists by handing ‘Uncle Saddam’ a decisive victory, courtesy of France and Russia.
This scenario is not some pipedream spouted by an optimist. As of last June, and reiterated again this past Friday, this is the official policy of the White House. America’s position of strength in negotiating a lasting peace in the region will be substantially improved after removing the main source of terrorist funding for the Palestinians and existential danger to Israel.
Finally, with a liberated Iraq, a free Palestine and a peaceful Israel, the rest of the Middle East will have no choice but to follow. The power-hungry despots running countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria will no longer have the plight of the Palestinians to distract their people. With freedom blossoming in Iraq and Palestine, the remaining dictators of the Arab world will fall. Some will read the tea leaves and remove themselves from power, rather than falling on their own sword in a bloody coup.
Others will not be so wise.
This transition period will not be easy, but once freedom has rooted, it will not be stopped. Truly, no nation on earth has ever willingly rejected democracy, and the nation states of the Middle East will not break this trend.
So yes, we do find ourselves on the brink. We are on the brink of a war whose outcome is still unknown. We are on the brink of a time of great difficulties and challenges. But these challenges should no longer be avoided. If the 1990’s demonstrated anything it is that ignoring festering problems, such as in North Korea and Iraq, will only lead to greater difficulties down the road. We cannot wish away Saddam any more than Chamberlain could wish away Hitler in the 1930’s. It is time to step over the threshold of inaction and set in motion what may one day be regarded as the greatest period in history. A period where an entire region of the globe welcomed freedom, and lasting peace was established between two proud peoples.
The costs may be high, but the costs of inaction will certainly be greater.