MillRatUSMC
08-12-04, 10:31 AM
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/06/Opinion/Quagmire_in_Iraq.shtml
Quagmire in Iraq
Spreading insurrections in Iraq's Sunni and Shiite communities endanger U.S. troops and add to doubts about a scheduled transfer of power.
A Times Editorial
Published April 6, 2004
The U.S. occupation in Iraq has descended into chaos. Militias loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr launched a broad insurrection across much of Iraq Sunday, killing eight U.S. troops and making a mockery of Iraqi security forces. Days earlier, Sunni hard-liners killed and mutilated four U.S. workers in a barbaric outburst that convulsed the city of Fallujah. U.S. forces and their tottering Iraqi allies look vulnerable, and U.S. plans for a transfer of power to Iraqi hands at the end of June look more unrealistic than ever.
There will be ample time for casting blame for the Bush administration's disastrous miscalculations in Iraq. Virtually every assumption that propelled this war has been shattered, and American personnel in Iraq are paying the price for those mistakes.
For now, though, fixing blame is less important than fixing Iraq. The immediate priority is protecting coalition troops and peaceful Iraqi citizens. Even before the spreading rebellion of the past week, U.S. forces were stretched dangerously thin. Militias such as Sadr's have become the de facto power in much of Iraq because the coalition lacks the manpower to handle day-to-day policing and security duties. Hastily trained Iraqi forces are not nearly ready to take over the job. Only NATO has the capacity to send meaningful military support to Iraq in a hurry, but the White House has resisted asking for more help and Europe has been understandably reluctant to offer it.
Iraq's political crisis is almost as pressing. President Bush said Monday "the deadline remains firm" for transferring power in Iraq by June 30. But transferred to whom? The president acknowledged that he doesn't know. The White House is placing great faith in U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to craft a plan that puts a functioning government in place until national elections can be held, but Brahimi has few options. Iraq's interim governing council has less credibility now than when it started, so simply expanding it would accomplish little. The growing defiance of major Shiite and Sunni blocs makes it even less likely that credible representatives of those groups will be willing or able to serve in a U.S.-approved government. Whatever does or doesn't happen on June 30, U.S. forces will continue to bear the primary military burden across Iraq.
Aside from our military personnel and their families, most Americans still seem detached from the deteriorating conditions in Iraq, but they constitute a direct threat to our national security. Iraq may have started out as an illogical battlefield in the war against terrorism, but the Bush administration's political and military miscalculations have spawned a new generation of Islamic radicals in Iraq and surrounding countries. Those miscalculations also have left our government more isolated when it desperately needs the world's help. Unless Lakhdar Brahimi is a miracle worker, the approaching deadline for a June 30 transfer of power may start looking more like a countdown to all-out civil war.
Quagmire in Iraq
Spreading insurrections in Iraq's Sunni and Shiite communities endanger U.S. troops and add to doubts about a scheduled transfer of power.
A Times Editorial
Published April 6, 2004
The U.S. occupation in Iraq has descended into chaos. Militias loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr launched a broad insurrection across much of Iraq Sunday, killing eight U.S. troops and making a mockery of Iraqi security forces. Days earlier, Sunni hard-liners killed and mutilated four U.S. workers in a barbaric outburst that convulsed the city of Fallujah. U.S. forces and their tottering Iraqi allies look vulnerable, and U.S. plans for a transfer of power to Iraqi hands at the end of June look more unrealistic than ever.
There will be ample time for casting blame for the Bush administration's disastrous miscalculations in Iraq. Virtually every assumption that propelled this war has been shattered, and American personnel in Iraq are paying the price for those mistakes.
For now, though, fixing blame is less important than fixing Iraq. The immediate priority is protecting coalition troops and peaceful Iraqi citizens. Even before the spreading rebellion of the past week, U.S. forces were stretched dangerously thin. Militias such as Sadr's have become the de facto power in much of Iraq because the coalition lacks the manpower to handle day-to-day policing and security duties. Hastily trained Iraqi forces are not nearly ready to take over the job. Only NATO has the capacity to send meaningful military support to Iraq in a hurry, but the White House has resisted asking for more help and Europe has been understandably reluctant to offer it.
Iraq's political crisis is almost as pressing. President Bush said Monday "the deadline remains firm" for transferring power in Iraq by June 30. But transferred to whom? The president acknowledged that he doesn't know. The White House is placing great faith in U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to craft a plan that puts a functioning government in place until national elections can be held, but Brahimi has few options. Iraq's interim governing council has less credibility now than when it started, so simply expanding it would accomplish little. The growing defiance of major Shiite and Sunni blocs makes it even less likely that credible representatives of those groups will be willing or able to serve in a U.S.-approved government. Whatever does or doesn't happen on June 30, U.S. forces will continue to bear the primary military burden across Iraq.
Aside from our military personnel and their families, most Americans still seem detached from the deteriorating conditions in Iraq, but they constitute a direct threat to our national security. Iraq may have started out as an illogical battlefield in the war against terrorism, but the Bush administration's political and military miscalculations have spawned a new generation of Islamic radicals in Iraq and surrounding countries. Those miscalculations also have left our government more isolated when it desperately needs the world's help. Unless Lakhdar Brahimi is a miracle worker, the approaching deadline for a June 30 transfer of power may start looking more like a countdown to all-out civil war.