Changing the game during the game


Using the hand that is dealt
Dean Barnett put up a FAQ on Iraq at HughHewitt.com. He says some things that need to be said, particularly this one.

The goal in Iraq was to trigger a reformation of the entire region. (For you Congressmen who don’t read books, this would be a good time to begin paying attention.) Historically, Sunni sects have been bent on world domination or at the very least the establishment of a caliphate. They don’t believe that any political realm trumps Sharia and the Koran. Shiites, on the other hand, were historically non-political. That changed in the late 1970’s with the rise of the Khomenists in Iran. Suddenly one of the regions two most populous Shiite states had a philosophy similar to the Sunni Wahabists and Salafists.

The hope in Shiite Iraq was that given the hostility leftover for Iran after their savage eight year war, we would be able to establish a secular and peaceful Muslim bulwark in the region. Given the humane actions of Ayatollah Sistani over the last few years, this wasn’t pie-in-the-sky thinking.

But a necessary prerequisite to this happening was defeating those parties who were inherently against such a state. Iraq’s Sunni dead-enders and Khommenist Shiites like Moqtada Al-Sadr had to die. Because the administration never summoned the will to accomplish either one of these things, we have a mess on our hands.

To be honest with you, I am still not sure what the Bush Administration is doing right now. We know that Syria and Iran are stirring up trouble in Iraq and I don't think they should have a place at the table.

But this never has been about conquering a nation, or even building one. The war in Iraq was about planting democracy and free markets in the Middle East.

Let people make their own choice.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Thu - November 30, 2006 at 02:01 PM  Tag


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