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Osama's War
I
can almost hear Osama Bin Laden rationalize his attack on American
soil prior to 9-11.
"Those Americans! They say they are
not colonialists, but their economic policies say otherwise. We must show
the world their real intent by unveiling their expansionism. If we attack,
they will come here to fight, and have no more success then the Russians
did. This time, we will lead all of Islam to victory."
His ranting almost failed him. If we had
concentrated on Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, the war would now be over. Bin
Laden would either be dead or in jail. He was about to lose everything
because he misjudged our capacity and resolve. Only an incredible stroke
of luck protected him. The Bush administration turned their eyes from
their stated mission. Thus fulfilling Bin Laden's greatest hope, we forced
our way into another Middle Eastern nation.
I find it tragic when I hear defenders of
the war ask if we would take our marching orders from Bin Laden. We've
been doing that ever since we headed into Iraq. Thanks to our misguided
hubris, Al Qaeda is stronger than ever, recruiting Muslims from around
the world, even from the United States. When wanting to kill Americans,
they don't even have to worry about logistics anymore. We've made it easy
by going to them. The failure of democracy in Iraq has effectively illustrated
our limits in shaping Middle Eastern politics, and resulted in nothing
more than a tragic waste of human life.
Let me be clear. While Homeland Security
works hard to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, our presence
in Iraq allows Al Qaeda to kill Americans over there. Just because they
are soldiers does not make them any less American. The number of them
killed on 9-11 has been met and surpassed in Iraq, while defenders of
the war brag that they weren't killed on American soil. Some feat. Should
we consider their deaths a sacrifice of appeasement?
The attack on 9-11 was Al Qaeda's invitation
to prove our aggressive attentions, a lure that the Bush
administration blindly swallowed hook, line and sinker. In fact, by invading
Iraq, we not only helped their propaganda machine, we exceeded their expectations.
A bloody stalemate has resulted. Just as
we failed to destroy Al Qaeda, their strategy to incorporate all of Islam
to their madness has also failed. The most either of us have achieved
is a lot of useless killing and destruction. Two failed policies entangled
in unending war. Religious fervor versus national pride. To what end?
Just to see who quits first? I'm not sure who is profiting from this,
but surely someone is.
I wish our leaders would open their eyes
to see that Al Qaeda is using our national pride to their advantage.
Can we really blame American policy in Iraq
as pride? Of course it's more complicated than that, but consider how
supporters of the war make their appeal. They talk about fear of
losing as if the war was a competition that decides who is best.
The truth is, we won that war. What's happning now has nothing to do with
Saddam and his army. They were soundly defeated.
Defenders or the war use words like "cut
and run" as if trying to provoke schoolyard rivals through
razing. We are told that more of our soldiers have to die to honor those
already dead, so that their sacrifice was not in vain. "For
our freedom and security" we are told, even as the war continues
to subtract from each. Patriotic fervor demands that we proudly "support
our troops," as if our whole purpose in Iraq is to support
them there—not for some just cause that is within our reach, but
just because… Nothing less than pride can ignore the
damage done to all concerned while trying to save face that has already
been lost.
Is there a remedy for this self-destructive
mess?
No. The only available pill is hard to swallow,
especially when pride stands in the way.
First of all, the Bush administration has
to be held accountable for its catastrophic deceptions and lack of vision.
We need to do this to warn future presidents that such ill use of power
is unacceptable.
Second, we need to acknowledge our mistakes
so that pride does not continue to define us. The principles of freedom,
democracy and human rights should always surpass nationalistic pride.
These are the principles that America is all about, not schoolyard bullying.
Third, we must take the wind out of Al Qaeda's
sails by leaving the Middle East and proving to the world that we are
not an aggressive colonial power seeking to dominate others.
Will getting out of Iraq result in a bloodbath,
as defenders of the war say? There is a strong chance that it will, and
yes, we will be responsible for it—but not for our leaving—for
going there in the first place. The guilt is ours, no matter how well-meaning
our intentions were.
The people of Iraq are the only ones who
can save themselves now, and they won't as long as they have a Western
power on their soil appearing to occupy a Muslim state and transforming
it to Western standards. Al Qaeda is still a minority there, and can still
be pushed out by the Iraqi people. If their presence continues to grow,
as it is now, this will not always be the case. Once again, we will have
blundered into helping our enemies with one monumental error after another.
Will our national prestige suffer? It suffers
from what we are doing now. We can only begin to repair the damage we
have done by admitting our errors, getting out and holding our leaders
accountable. The longer we wait, the worse it will be.
