Idiot's Guide to the Iraq War
Amazing!
Every day news stories and commentaries on the war amaze me. It's the same thing day after day. Why are we in Iraq? Do the Iraqi people really want us there? Where are the weapons of mass destruction? What does our "spiritual advisor", Susan Sarandon, have to say about this? Why is President Bush doing such a horrible job?
What amazes me most about these stories is my belief that some Americans are unable to grasp what has happened to this country. They can't seem to appreciate the magnitude of these events, and the danger our country faces.
Enemy name game
The organization claiming responsibility for September 11 happens to be...every one say it with me... al Qaeda. But I propose that this is not "the" enemy. Placing blame (and our gunsights) solely on al Qaeda does not challenge the threat.
Al Qaeda is a vehicle for attack. al Qaeda is also a fairly sophisticated weapon. Focusing our efforts solely on al Qaeda would be like launching an all out invasion on the Japanese carrier Akagi following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sure the Akagi was partly responsible for the attack. But the Akagi was also a piece of hardware. And thankfully, we set our sights further west. Duh.
As Americans, we have always looked for a foreign land with which to wage war. The rules have been simple. Another country attacks us, and we return fire. We have always kept our enemies and the rules of engagement simple. One country against another; one uniform against another; one flag against another.
Fast forward to today and we still strive for simplicity in war. The fact is that many of us still look for a single country to assign responsibility for the Trade Center. Some people can't get their minds around the concept that we are in the midst of a cultural world war between differing belief systems. And some people are so steeped in the tradition of naming a country as the enemy, they are blaming the United States for lack of any better choices.
Ok, before you start beating me over the head with the "club for insensitive people", let me finish. I'm not out to pick on any one culture...ok, well maybe just one. But hear me out.
You might be asking the question "aren't all wars waged between groups of people with differing opinions?" Sure they are, but in the past those groups have generally been contained within a common geographic border, and have been led by a world recognized, governing body.
So, who is our enemy? Who launched an offensive using a very sophisticated weapon known throughout the world as al Qaeda? The answer is simple...and not so simple. There is a single group responsible for the attack on New York and Washington D.C. A single cultural group made up of angry, fanatical, Muslim, extremists. The "not so simple part" is they only go by the name "Angry, Fanatical, Muslim, Extremists" (or AFME for your reading pleasure), and they have no world recognized governing body (not for a lack of volunteers of course).
Wait a minute, you might say. Don't we already know that? Sure, but let's take a step back and look at the big picture. This group is scattered throughout the world. It is embedded amongst other cultures and is not easily identifiable. What's worse is that often times fragments of this group are embedded within other "not so fanatical" groups that hate us, but not enough to do anything about it, but enough to harbor those that do.
Where do we go from here? We get out our maps and we identify concentrated fragments of AFME. We survey the cultures surrounding these target areas and we size up the countries in which the target areas are contained. We work with the governments of these countries when we can, and plow through the governments of other countries unwilling to help. (i.e. Iraq)
So what you're saying is we are at war with Muslims? No, silly! We are at war with AFME, and anyone that assists their efforts. Another mistake people both for and against the war make is that we are at war with Muslims. Some of those that support the war harbor ill will toward all Muslims, not realizing those they want to hate want nothing to do with al Qaeda, and in most cases have no ill will toward The United States. And for some of those against the war, they feel the U.S. has unjustly waged war against all Muslims everywhere. Right, and I have the entire internet on one DVD. Get real!
Fact is the Muslim culture is enormous in size. Those that can't focus in on the granularity of such a large group really need to take a second look. The major cultures of the world are complex in structure. AFME is only one small portion of the world Muslim population. We must come to terms with this fact. We must also realize that while the AFME is comprised of individuals willing to carry out acts against us, other similar groups also exist that may not be committed to direct action, but are willing to play a support role with AFME.
War in Iraq, Take 2!
Why Iraq now? This is not an easy question. Why we attacked Iraq second cannot be answered with the information we have publicly available. One might claim the attack was motivated by some sort of revenge on the part of President Bush. Claims like these are hasty and ignorant. We can't truly know if the timing of the Iraq invasion was the right choice without being privy to all the information presented to President Bush prior to his decision. And the catch-22 is that we can't be privy to that information without compromising our own security. We are in fact ignorant to the reasons for going to Iraq this early. Its called secretive strategy. Duh again.
Why Iraq at all? Iraq fits the criteria above. There are fragments of AFME in Iraq and the government was unwilling to help. 'Nough said. Why complicate this issue?
Iraq is not alone. Other countries fit the criteria as well, but are in more of a gray area. They are offering some cooperation, but suspicion still exists. Iraq, on the other hand, was completely defiant. No brainer. In fact, I believe that if Saddam had not let his ego control his actions, he could have played the situation more tactfully, continued to harbor AFME, and would still be in power with a larger part of the international community ignorantly backing his position. I believe his ego was his greatest weakness and cost him his "presidency" early in the game.
Why not Iran now? Iran's government has been more tactful in international relations. I would also speculate that our Government was looking for a "quick kill". Iraq was already weakened by the '91 Gulf War. Despite the build up, there was most likely a belief this would be a far easier campaign than Iran. The occupation and conversion of Iraq would also provide a launching point for any future campaigns in the area. You might be saying to yourself "but Iraq has not been quick nor easy". Well, I would say your being too hasty to pass judgement. Look back at past campaigns. They were longer and bloodier. If you compare the Iraqi campaign to conflicts of the past, you might actually be amazed at our progress. Remember that the Gulf War was primarily fought in the deserts. We never before attempted to occupy Baghdad for any length of time. Now imagine, for a moment, we had gone after Iran before Iraq. Pretty scary thought.
But rest assured. Once Iraq is "under control", our government will be turning their attention to Iran. And the ultimatum will be set. "Enough playing around. Whose side are you on?" We've got to remember the geographic borders of AFME differ from recognized national borders. Iraq was a battle, not a war.
Of course our Government has made mistakes in this "war". Humans run our government. Duh (for the third time). But I believe Its largest mistake was labeling the Iraq conflict a "war", knowing this was only a battle. People look at war as having a beginning and an end. When its over, its over. I believe many are confused in the logic that we went to war with Iraq, the war will come to an end without further action, and al Qaeda will still remain a threat. So why are we fighting Iraq and not al Qaeda?
I'll say it again; we are at war with AFME. Iraq is one of many battlefields. And al Qaeda is the weapon we are attempting to disable. We have got to step back and appreciate the complexity of our mission. Only then can we understand the importance of supporting this effort to preserve our way of life.
Note: Use of the acronym "AFME" is not intended as a reference to "American Friends of the Middle East", the "Armed Forces Medical Examiner", "Americans For Mutant Elephants" or any of a thousand other representations.
