If US Is to Have a Semblance of Success in Its Iraqi Mission
Hassan Tahsin
Guest Contributor
The American administration has been stubbornly refusing to admit its dismal failure to achieve anything in Iraq. President George Bush is desperate to gain some support from US Congress to continue the war in Iraq though the American casualties have been rising steadily, not to say anything of the countless number of Iraqis getting killed. But Bush would never admit that the war is a costly misadventure.
Despite the escalating sectarian strife in Iraq, the US president insists that the violence in Iraq has decreased by half since February after more soldiers were flown into Iraq, though the whole world knows that this is an attempt to conceal the bitter truth that the whole exercise has proved a colossal waste.
If the American and British soldiers have been successful in putting down the violence in that unhappy land, as claimed by President Bush, then why, one wonders, the United States organized a conference of Iraq’s neighbors to find a way out of the tragic state the country has been thrown into. The conference was held early this month following the “International Compact” conference at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh to raise funds for the reconstruction of the war-battered Iraq.
One need not be a shrewd analyst of international politics to figure out the reasons for the conference.
The US knows it is facing defeat in Iraq and it will be unable on its own to restore normalcy or stability in that country.
Though the International Compact was hailed as a success as the participating countries agreed to write off about $30 billion out of Iraq’s $140 billion debt,
the 19-point final communiqué did not give any hope of peace returning to Iraq. The final communiqué must have disappointed even an optimist because it did not give any indication of a change in Washington’s Iraq strategy.
All that the US wants is to protect its economic and political interests in the region at any cost. The United States also did not propose any practical steps to end the sectarian clashes.
The conference was organized without preparing the ground for a rapport between the warring groups in Iraq.
Iran, Syria and Turkey blamed the dictatorial attitude of the US for the deteriorating law and order situation in Iraq.
The Bush administration has, obviously, never made an attempt to understand the aspirations of the Iraqi people belonging to diverse sects and creeds.
Turkey is worried about the Iraqi Kurds gaining more power, which would encourage the Turkish Kurds to rise up against Ankara.
On the other hand, the countries in the Gulf region are worried about the threat to their security if chaos and instability continued in Iraq or the US conducted military strikes against Iran.
The US wants peace in Iraq but on its own terms. It also wants an honorable pullout so that the critics of war at home are silenced.
It is obvious that Iraq will not have peace until both the US and Iran made sincere efforts toward that end.
Washington totally rejects a give-and-take policy toward Iran: The Iranian cooperation to stabilize the situation in Iraq in exchange for some US concessions over Iran’s nuclear programs.
The consequences of such concessions, the US believes, would be more calamitous than the dangers of prolonged turmoil and bloodshed in Iraq. On the other hand, Iran wants to negotiate directly with Washington on every outstanding issue, not just Iraq.
This is how the conference ended without achieving any concrete results. This was the 18th meeting on Iraq since the war began in 2003.
The failure of the conference does not mean that the impasse can’t be broken.
It can be — provided there is a shift in attitudes and willingness to offer a few concessions.
Arab View: If US Is to Have a Semblance of Success in Its Iraqi Mission
NOTE:
Restoring Sunni Civil Rights for the Saudis would greatly change this (above) opinion held by the Saudis and would greatly enhanse debt reduction and future assistance in the rebuilding of Iraq...(Just IMHO) But, the PARLIAMENT still seem deadset against this in any of the near term future...SAD! (IMO)