Subscribe to our BlogThe Real Problem of Iraq
By John A. Cote MSSI, CPP
In Iraq today the real problem is not the number of troops we need to complete the job there, but rather how to implement a strategic exit plan which takes into account the many complex issues which created the Iraq crisis in the first place.
It clearly is in our best interest to have a peaceful Iraq. It’s time the United States lowers its pride a little and asks for help from her allies around the world. This help should be comprised of both treasure and blood. Many countries so far have been more than willing to give money toward the war effort, but have refused to send any troops to help in securing Iraq. In order to truly say “Mission Accomplished” the U.S. needs to:
- Show a truly independent Iraq
- Leave the smallest U.S. footprint in Iraq
- Get Iraq’s neighbors to take the responsibility of helping the fledgling nation
- Talk with Iran about its responsibilities to its neighbor
- Talk with Syria about its responsibilities to its neighbor
I know that in the beginning of this war we did have other coalition members with troops on the ground but they systematically left the field of battle as their forces came under deadly fire.
Most of us agree a calm Iraq would be better for the world as a whole. Now is the time for America and her allies to take a stand against terrorism. Getting the rest of the world to take its fair share of the burden would give the U.S. troops a chance to recuperate and Iraq could be flooded with the numbers of troops to truly once and for all defeat the insurgents.
John Cote is a terrorism and security analyst currently living in the Czech Republic. Cote holds a master's degree in Strategic Intelligence from American Military University.
Comments
Dear RTO trainer,
The problem with the United States offering inducements is that the administration has an extremely large credibility problem. Even if I were to produce the magical inducements you want, the problem is no nation would believe that such promises would be kept buy the current administration. We were told that we must stop Saddam Hussein from producing weapons of mass destruction or he might even give them to terrorist organizations. This was the first stated reason for going to war in Iraq. When those weapons of mass destruction were not found, we were told the reason for the war was to free the people of Iraq from the tyranny of Saddam. We told the people of Iraq that life would be better with out Saddam, is this the case? hardly. The United States needs to regain its credibility within the world community again before we can hope to offer any inducements.
The problem with our allies is not which ones we have neglected to engage but rather which ones we have not held responsible for holding up their end of the responsibility for the outcome in Iraq. Take for example Japan. Japan sent a small contingent of soldiers to Iraq and paid the local militia members not to engage their troops in hostile fire. This is no way to run a war. However the US allowed Japan to do this and set a dangerous precedent.
I would really like to know who started this notion that a nation can send troops into a war zone and not incur any casualties whatsoever. Once our allies in Iraq started to take casualties they decided to pull out. Just imagine what would have happened if the United States decided that on D day too many of our men were killed and we should have pulled all our forces out of the effort at that moment. When you make a decision to go to war you must be prepared to withstand the casualties. This is what was wrong with our allies they no longer have the stomach to see a war to its natural conclusion.
I did not go into great depth but I did mention we need to talk to our enemies both Syria and Iran. These two countries influence many of the actions within Iraq. Back when George Bush Sr. was engaging Iraq, Syria was actually a member of the coalition poised against Saddam Hussein. This current administration refuses to talk to two of the most important countries involved with this current conflict. Talking with these countries can not hurt the situation and maybe a path out if the current quagmire might show itself within the negotiations.
Posted by: John Cote | March 5, 2007 9:54 AM
Please do us all a favor.
Please be the first to lay out what inducements we could possibly offer to anyone to expend blood and treasuer that we have not already offered.
Please be the first to lay out which allies we've neglected to engage.
If you can't or won't do this than this remains yet another sweet-sounding proposal, long on common sense and far far short on practical application.
You just might, in formulating a response, take a good look at the forse structure our allies have to work with and determine for yourself who's got capacity to send more that they have not done already.
Posted by: RTO Trainer | February 24, 2007 12:45 AM