Calls for Iraqi Withdrawal Premature

Since the controversial invasion and subsequent toppling of Saddam Hussein by the United States, free elections have been held in the ancient land of Iraq.

Among the many goals of the U.S., was regime change and democratization in a region that had no practical or spiritual experience with what is principally a Western doctrine. That does not mean that the Middle East can not learn its principles. If Asia was capable of doing it so can the Middle East. Indeed, democracy is a habit in the West. Lest we forget, until the birth of the United States, democracy was an ideal not practiced. Europe too was filled with dictatorial and aristocratic institutions. The enshrinement of the Constitution was the amalgamation of centuries of war and philosophical evolution begun first in Ancient Greece and well into Medieval Europe. Much of the concepts we take for granted that have made us who we are today started that far back. The United States itself prior to 1776 had to wrestle with lawlessness in some form. It took centuries to gradually build up to the essence of democracy and it is still evolving.

Ironically, our own citizens, in almost cynical fashion, question the legitimacy of Western principles and its application by the very same freedoms they have been accorded. They seem to not take into consideration, in their steadfast derision of the Bush doctrine, the people who plan to benefit from the freedoms they themselves enjoy. Fixated they remain on the reasons and alleged lies for going to war in the first place.

Such is what is facing the Iraqi people. They needed to be freed from Hussein in order to finally grab the reigns of their own destiny. It is pointless to cry to the wind about who did it and for what reasons. They have their freedom now. What will become of it depends largely on their capacity to behave in civil discourse to one another. They themselves will determine if Iraq remains one nation or will be divided along religious and cultural lines.

Yet, despite the obvious long and arduous road ahead for an incredibly important region where religion remains a part of political life, books are still being printed that reveal the narrow-scoped visions some authors (among others) continue to hold. Taking a simplistic approach by reducing this highly complex geo-politcal paradigm with vast historical sensibilities to one particular issue (ie oil or vengeance) is not only short of being able to grasp what confronts the region but is intellectually self-serving in that it does not help the Iraqi people.

Some politicians and academics alike are asking for a prescribed date for the removal of American troops. Some Arabs humiliated that the U.S, in all its manifestations, are a little too excited to ask the Americans to leave. They are not ready for such a withdrawal. How can we put a ceiling through drop-dead dates on such an experiment?

There is no base of institutions by which the Iraqi's can rely on to take control of things yet. It remains a highly explosive and precarious situation and asking the U.S to leave is not only premature but downright irresponsible to the country of Iraq. Iraq needs to be stabilized. It needs a minimal base to begin what we had the luxury of having for centuries. They need to begin meaningful and enlightened dialogue and debate, free from the fanatical element, amongst each other that can spill over to neighbouring countries. This is the spread, I trust, the Americans are wishing for. If Iraq stays the course its reward will be priceless.

America has had to contend with a poor public relations record in the perception of the world. Part of the problem is its careful worries of how it is perceived globally. To the rest of the world America is an empire. To some Americans, the United States is not an empire. This discrepancy is part of the reason why Americans are unpopular in the courses of action they choose.

Another issue is awesome and fearsome might notwithstanding, America is not skillful in the art of nation building. It is something, as Afghanistan is showing, they are learning on the fly. While things seem hopeless in this region, there are many positive signs that we are selecting to ignore. It's a place that deserves a fair shot and America is the only major power capable of making it happen. To stop this experiment for geo-political gains by other countries at the expense of Iraq and Afghanistan would be unfortunate. The will is there, the question is do we have the fortitude to see it through.

In a place where civilization was born and advanced, they have paid a price for internal strife that has stricken them for so long. Perhaps, we can witness the re-birth of a country before our eyes. Iraq can take a true leadership role for a pan-Arab revival that will usher back their nations into the community of civil nations. There is nothing more the world would like to see.