Iraq

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Because of the War in Iraq, Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq is finished. That is great news for the Iraqi people. However, getting Iraq back on its feet again may take years. On June 28, 2004, the coalition forces officially handed over sovereign power to the Iraqis. In October 2005, Iraqis ratified a new constitution. On December 15, 2005, Parliamentary elections were held to create a 275 member Parliament (there were more than 7700 candidates). If this new government wants the U.S. to leave, the United States has assured them that we will leave. If this new government wants the U.S to stay and help with security, then we will stay. If the U.S. pulls out before Iraq is ready to govern and police itself, then we can probably bank on another war in Iraq within the next decade (maybe the same war continuing for 10 years). If the new government in Iraq is pressured by public outrage at the continued U.S. presence in their country, then they may have no option but to ask us to leave. That may mean another war 10 years from now.

Meanwhile, there are many individuals in the Middle East who hope that the U.S. will fail in Iraq. If the U.S. fails in Iraq and is unable to establish an Iraqi government and Iraqi police, then that would be an indication that the U.S would fail everywhere in the Middle East. If the U.S. succeeds in Iraq and is able to establish a free society with self-government and police, then that is a strong indication that the U.S. may succeed in other areas of the Middle East. Therefore, many individuals around the Middle East have gone to Iraq to make sure that the U.S. fails in its endeavor. These individuals are not concerned about the oil. They simply do not want western ideas and western culture imprinted on their society and they will do whatever it takes to keep the U.S. from succeeding in Iraq. We can bomb all of those who do not want democracy in Iraq, but how do you pick them out of the crowd? We end up killing innocent people every day and that turns the surviving family members into enemies. It's not a good situation that the U.S. is tangled up in right now. And yet, if we leave Iraq, the situation could get worse.