Housekeeping, Post-Saddam (It's time to get U.S. troops out of Saudi Arabia)

Wall Sreet Journal Editorial Page ^ | Sunday, April 20, 2003 12:01 a.m. EDT | FRANCIS FUKUYAMA

[alnitak]

After enduring criticism from much of the world for embarking on Operation Iraqi Freedom, Americans have been justly celebrating the downfall of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and the fact that the war was neither as protracted nor as morally ambiguous as many had feared. Once again the U.S. military has shown itself to be the best in the world by any conceivable measure.

[alnitak]

Interesting take. Timing CAN be everything.

[xJones]

We need to do this now, from a position of strength, rather than waiting some months when our presence in Iraq may seem less commanding. The U.S. has no business stationing its forces permanently in a country that will not let our women soldiers walk the streets freely.

I couldn't agree more with him.

[ImpotentRage]

I'm not sure I agree with Mr. Fukuyama (Yeah! I know, who am I?) with regard to Saudi Arabia not being an "enemy." The Saudis are the ones establishing schools, etc., on OUR soil under the control of the Wahabbi Islamists. If this isn't an "enemy" action, what is it?

[doc11355]

Right after we pull out of Saudi Arabia, let's move our troops out of Germany and into the "New" European countries that would welcome them. A side benefit would be that they'd be that much closer to Russia where they'd be perceived by them as more of a threat and would act as a more effective deterrent to Russia's sticking it to us on the world stage like they did recently.

[KeyLargo]

Yes, and we should pull our troops out of NATO and Germany in particular. There are other European countries that would love to have us!

[KeyLargo]

We should also pull our troops out of Japan. Its about time that the Japs started paying for their own defense!

[lizbet]

What a paradox! We are in Saudi Arabia to protect them but the majority of the terrorists who attacked us on September 11, 2001, were Saudis.

[alnitak]

Ain't gonna happen. Moving them to Eastern Europe means they could be easily overrun in the case of any nastiness from the Russians. Notice it's the politicians who have floated this idea of "moving East", not the Pentagon.

[Moosilauke]

...a withdrawal will be perceived not as weakness but as an act of magnanimity and common sense.

We will think of it as a generous, trust building act. Few in the region (and even fewer in the hate America movement) will perceive it that way. There will be no end of satanic explanations for our actions. That's because we are the great satan. If we've learned anything from the overthrow of Saddam, it's that the Arab world is seriously out of touch with reality. To choose our actions based on the expected impression they will have on the Arab world would be very foolhardy. We would become, in effect, the enablers of their schizo world view.

That's not to say we shouldn't yank our forces from Saudi Arabia as soon as possible. If we do so, it should be for our own benefit, not as a sop to how the Islamists will view us.

[jocon307]

"...it should be for our own benefit, not as a sop to...the Islamists"

I agree, and I said as much in my response to this article on this site, which may or may not be posted. It's a great site btw, I read it first thing every morning, and do not miss "best of the web today" which gets posted Monday through Friday at about 4:00 pm.

But, I agree, the Arabs are bullies, and respect only force, strength, determination, and victory. We can do what we wish with our troops, but we must do it when we choose and in the manner that suits us best. Furthermore, in Saudi Arabia, at least, we must leave behind no bases or equipment or anything else of any value.

To me this article is symptomatic of the incredibly short attention span that seems to have infected everyone in our society, even people like Fukayama who essentially are paid to think and take the long view. Gee wizz, sorry we couldn't straighten out 50 years (at least) of the world's problems in 30 minutes less commercials! Please stay tuned for happy ending along with sappy theme song!

[genefromjersey]

This is one of the best WSJ editorials I've read in months !

We DEFINITELY need to let the Saudis do their own housekeeping - win, lose, or draw.

I remember vividly the HUGE stockpile of arms and ammunition the Marines uncovered : The words SAUDI ARABIA were stencilled on the cases.

I saw this on FOX News; however, later telecasts of this incident did NOT show the SAUDI stockpile : I assume, because we are STILL trying to be nice to a known exporter and supporter of international terror : a country which sent 18 of its citizens to our shores to kill our people.

The time is ripe to say " Bless You ! " to the rest of the world, and to make full use of the Iraqi oil reserves.

Oh : As to the French, let them eat cake ! Let THEM depend on Wahhabi largess for their fuel supply !

[boris]

Isn't he the guy who claimed 'history has ended'?

Certainly that enhances his credibility.

--Boris

[bvw]

"History is Over!" -- Mr. "Deep Thinker" Fukuyama, US State Department, 1992.

"What the world needs is more regulation" -- Mr. "Extra Deep Thinker" Fukuyama, "Our Posthuman Future", 2002

"The best way to take advantage of our current position is to contract our empire," -- Mr. "Very Extra Way Deep Thinker" Fukuyama, 2003, Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University

The man is a most effective Pensionaire! Not only a pension from State, but from John Hopkins, too! And he writes DEEP BOOKS! Oh boy, oh boy oh boy!

And just look at how ADVANCED and STUNNINGLY ACCURATE his DEEP THINKING is!

[alnitak]

I agree completely.

[Captain Kirk]

An Iraqi government isn't even been set up (or been allowed to be set up) and the WSJ is already planning permanent military bases in a country which will be theoretically sovereign. So much for the "choices" of the Iraqi people.

[bvw]

Iraq is a 1920's British mandate hodgepodge. There are NO Iraqi "People" -- there are peoples. What is the definition of the Iraqi people? Those who suffered under the dictator? That's no great glue of a people.

Look at Yugoslavia -- there a dictator, Tito, melded different "Peoples" into one "People" about as close as you will ever find -- yet at the end, when he was gone, that sense of a Yugoslav nation of a united "People" combining Croat, Serb, Bosnian, etc. vanished like some bay fog in the morning.

Perhaps the greatest gift we could gift Iraq would be to make it a US colony like the Philipines were -- honestly I don't know. I know only that history says a bunch of things none of which are rowing the boat in the same direction as we seem to be going here.

[McGavin999]

Regardless of whether they are the "enemy" or not, we should withdraw our troops from SA. It's important to prove that we have no desire to be where we are not needed. It will strengthen our hand in Iraq.

[Captain Kirk]

We agreed until the last paragraph. I don't think it makes sense to emulate the Austro-Hungarian empire and annex this Balkans writ large. Iraq as a "colony" for the U.S.?! Well....I guess when that happens, the corruption and Romanization of our "republic" will be complete. Tom Jefferson would be turning over in his grave. All that America supposed to have represented would be completely dead and opening paragraph would become mere gibberish.

[Captain Kirk]

That's supposed to be opening paragraph of the Declaration of Independence.