Optimism in Iraq
June 22, 2004 ~ 2:35 p.m.
When I see a picture like the one below, I can�t help but be thankful for the efforts of more than twenty nations�whether politically or militarily�in helping to oust Saddam Hussein from power.
Can there be no doubt that we�ve done the right thing?
Don�t be misled by news that all Iraqis think it�s justified for American soldiers to be shot at. The average, moderate Iraqi is no doubt frustrated by the continuing American presence; they want their country back, and who can blame them? But the transfer of power is still slated to go into effect next Wednesday and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is optimistic, despite his plan to institute martial law in Iraq.
The northern part of Iraq, the stronghold of the Kurds, is stable and happy with the Americans. A Shi�ite-Kurdish conflict over the constitution looms, and Kurds do fear a loss of sovereignty within the new government, but the U.S. and U.N. have worked with al-Sistani, the Iraqi Shi�ite leader, to craft a government that may have an Islamic flavor but a participatory government. All the problems with securing the transfer of power have been smoothed out�fighting the continuing insurgency remains the tough task ahead of us.
But we can do it. As I�ve said before, Iraq is not and will not be another Vietnam, unless we will it to be.
I am currently reading a book by Latif Yahia entitled I Was Saddam�s Son. Yahia served as Uday Hussein�s double and witnessed some truly grim moments in the Iraq ruled by Saddam Hussein.
The book was released in English in 1997, long before the current war in Iraq, but the publisher�s note states:
Latif Yahia�s co-author, the journalist who broke his story to the world, has added to this edition an epilogue updating the account with events in Iraq and within the regime since Latif�s flight, culminating in the attempted assassination of Uday on December 12, 1996, and its aftermath. Whatever else the epilogue records, it points to the tight bonds between Saddam and his two sons and to the brutal lengths to which they will go to retain their grasp on power � Should Uday inherit Saddam�s power, whether alone or with his brother Qusay, he may prove to be more destabilizing to the region, and more of a threat to the world at large, than Saddam ever was.
Now then, if now wasn�t the right time to circumvent the growing horror in Iraq, when would have been? If Saddam truly didn�t have WMDs, you can bet that Uday would have stockpiles galore. He was a megalomaniac and a psychopath who didn't take kindly to anyone telling him what to do, as Yahia makes very clear. Would Uday have complied with the U.N. resolutions?
If we weren�t worried about Saddam, content to argue that he was a problem for Iraqis only, we might very well have faced an uglier war against Uday.
Uday reportedly taunted his own generals, having told them, "Just wait until I become president. I�ll be crueler than my father ever was. You mark my words. You�ll yearn for the time of Saddam Hussein." But guess what? Uday (and Qusay) are dead, and Saddam looks to face the death penalty in Iraq.
We did the right thing in Iraq. Reading Latif Yahia�s book has convinced me of this more than ever.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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