The Middle East, An American Nightmare

More than 1,700 young Americans have been killed and nearly 13,000 wounded since the invasion of Iraq began on March 19, 2003. The death toll among Iraqi civilians has reached 25,000, and roughly 100,000 have been wounded. Brutal, unpredictable, and unexpectedly protracted, this war was initially touted a cake walk. By now its cost in dollars has risen to a staggering 230 billion. And the end of this nightmare seems nowhere in sight. Among the nation’s top leaders, only Vice President Dick Cheney sees the insurgency in “its last throes,” whatever that may entail.

Reporting from Baghdad, CBS counted 69 suicide bombings in April and 90 in May. 159 persons were willing to end their lives deliberately in the service of the insurgency. More appalling yet, the supply of suicide bombers shows no sign of diminishing.

Present Bush does not seem to share Mr. Cheney’s optimism. "I think about this every day,” he told White House reporters last week, “every single day, and will continue thinking about it, because I understand we've got kids in harm's way. … And I worry about their families; and I obviously, any time there's a death, I grieve. But I want those families to know, one, we're not going to leave them, not going to allow their mission to go in vain; and, two, we will complete the mission, and the world will be better off for it."

Neither the President nor his military advisers have been able to tell us how and when America’s once so confident mission in Iraq will be accomplished. Incessantly, we have been telling the Arabs that we are bringing them freedom and democracy but so far our involvement in Iraq

and in Palestine has not progressed beyond occupation and bloodshed. Worse yet, the invasion has turned Iraq into a training camp for terrorists and into yet another breeding ground for anti-American hostility.

The latest Associated Press poll finds only 41 percent of Americans supporting the President’s handling of the Iraq war. Increasingly, he encounters criticism not only from Democrats but also from prominent Republicans.

“Things aren’t getting better,” Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) told U.S. News, “they’re getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality. It’s like they’re just making it up as they go along.”

“Rumsfeld and the neo-cons have fouled it up from the beginning,” complained retired Marine Colonel Jim Van Riper who favored the removal of Saddam Hussein. Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC), a staunch backer of the invasion, now says: “After two and a half years, it’s right to take a fresh look. We have a right to ask, ‘What are the goals?’”

On Capitol Hill, the impatience with the progress of the occupation of Iraq is growing. Several lawmakers asked the administration to develop and announce a time line for the exit of all American troops from Iraq. That, however, may be ill advised because it would tell the insurgents what to expect and how take advantage of American plans.

Democratic Senator Joe Biden, one of the President’s persistent foreign policy critics, believes that “we can still succeed in Iraq.” He too, however, has not come up with proposals for new strategies.

The most experienced and realistic Middle East experts continue to tell the administration that the U.S. needs a far more positive and affirmative diplomatic offensive throughout the Muslim world in order to undercut the extremist agitation.

The steady drumbeat of American denunciations of the backwardness of Muslim societies does not help at all. It only arouses more anger and aids the terrorists’ recruiting efforts.

The Israeli occupation of Arab Palestine, the massive U.S. support of the expansionist Sharon regime, and the U.S. failure to insist on a peace settlement, remains the most intractable root cause of anti-American rhetoric and violence. Why do we not propose a nuclear-free Middle East in order to allay the very real Arab and Iranian fear of Israel’s allegedly 200 nuclear devices?

To pacify the Muslim masses, we need to convince them that we respect them as people, their civilization, their right to self-determination, and the inviolability of their land and resources.

Wolf D. Fuhrig	Home	06-26-05
The Middle East, An American Nightmare
More than 1,700 young Americans have been killed and nearly 13,000 wounded since the invasion of Iraq began on March 19, 2003. The death toll among Iraqi civilians has reached 25,000, and roughly 100,000 have been wounded. Brutal, unpredictable, and unexpectedly protracted, this war was initially touted a cake walk. By now its cost in dollars has risen to a staggering 230 billion. And the end of this nightmare seems nowhere in sight. Among the nation’s top leaders, only Vice President Dick Cheney sees the insurgency in “its last throes,” whatever that may entail. Reporting from Baghdad, CBS counted 69 suicide bombings in April and 90 in May. 159 persons were willing to end their lives deliberately in the service of the insurgency. More appalling yet, the supply of suicide bombers shows no sign of diminishing. Present Bush does not seem to share Mr. Cheney’s optimism. "I think about this every day,” he told White House reporters last week, “every single day, and will continue thinking about it, because I understand we've got kids in harm's way. … And I worry about their families; and I obviously, any time there's a death, I grieve. But I want those families to know, one, we're not going to leave them, not going to allow their mission to go in vain; and, two, we will complete the mission, and the world will be better off for it." Neither the President nor his military advisers have been able to tell us how and when America’s once so confident mission in Iraq will be accomplished. Incessantly, we have been telling the Arabs that we are bringing them freedom and democracy but so far our involvement in Iraq and in Palestine has not progressed beyond occupation and bloodshed. Worse yet, the invasion has turned Iraq into a training camp for terrorists and into yet another breeding ground for anti-American hostility. The latest Associated Press poll finds only 41 percent of Americans supporting the President’s handling of the Iraq war. Increasingly, he encounters criticism not only from Democrats but also from prominent Republicans. “Things aren’t getting better,” Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) told U.S. News, “they’re getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality. It’s like they’re just making it up as they go along.” “Rumsfeld and the neo-cons have fouled it up from the beginning,” complained retired Marine Colonel Jim Van Riper who favored the removal of Saddam Hussein. Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC), a staunch backer of the invasion, now says: “After two and a half years, it’s right to take a fresh look. We have a right to ask, ‘What are the goals?’” On Capitol Hill, the impatience with the progress of the occupation of Iraq is growing. Several lawmakers asked the administration to develop and announce a time line for the exit of all American troops from Iraq. That, however, may be ill advised because it would tell the insurgents what to expect and how take advantage of American plans. Democratic Senator Joe Biden, one of the President’s persistent foreign policy critics, believes that “we can still succeed in Iraq.” He too, however, has not come up with proposals for new strategies. The most experienced and realistic Middle East experts continue to tell the administration that the U.S. needs a far more positive and affirmative diplomatic offensive throughout the Muslim world in order to undercut the extremist agitation. The steady drumbeat of American denunciations of the backwardness of Muslim societies does not help at all. It only arouses more anger and aids the terrorists’ recruiting efforts. The Israeli occupation of Arab Palestine, the massive U.S. support of the expansionist Sharon regime, and the U.S. failure to insist on a peace settlement, remains the most intractable root cause of anti-American rhetoric and violence. Why do we not propose a nuclear-free Middle East in order to allay the very real Arab and Iranian fear of Israel’s allegedly 200 nuclear devices? To pacify the Muslim masses, we need to convince them that we respect them as people, their civilization, their right to self-determination, and the inviolability of their land and resources.

Wolf D. Fuhrig

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06-26-05

The Middle East, An American Nightmare