December 21, 2004
Can Iraq Succeed?
Throughout the term of this whole war, there has been an undercurrent. There is a divide in this country, and it is not a question of whether our not our soldiers can do their jobs. It is a not a question of whether we will succeed. The question is whether we CAN succeed. What does it take to turn a society that has seen 30 years of tyranny and repression into a free society? Can the people of Iraq ever transition to that society?
I believe the question is even more basic. Are people, in general, good or evil? Do people want a society where they can flourish in freedom, or do they desire power over their fellow man? I believe this question is the fundamental point that drives the previous question. An intrinsically just people will prefer a government which governs least, while a fundamentally power-hungry people will require a government that enforces a justice that the world itself is not capable of on its own.
This single question is what drives the questions our own government faces every day. Conservatives believe that people, if left to their own devices, will protect each other. Conservatives believe that human nature is such that people by nature are charitable, and that state-run charity is unnecessary. Those of us who are against being taxed for social programs are not against helpful, we simply feel that forced virtue is no virtue at all. As contrast, liberals believe that people, if left to their own devices, will work to protect their own, but none other. And thus, an outside source such as government needs to step in and pick up the slack. They believe that if helping others is a noble goal, then it naturally follows that we should all share the burden collectively, even if it requires the force of government to make it occur.
The very same debate comes up for Iraq. There were many reasons for supporting the war, and for some, those reasons included humanitarian goals. These people believe, as Bush does, that people have an intrinsic yearning for freedom. If we help them to defeat the tyranny they are under, and give a kick-start in the right direction, after a couple years we’ll be able to remove the training wheels and a free, flourishing society will follow. On the contrary, there is a group of people who believe the exact opposite. They believe that group dynamics will force the country into eventual civil war, because the Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds will not find enough common ground to form a common government. They believe that even if we do succeed by ensuring self-rule, that Iraq will shortly vote themselves into a totalitarian Islamic regime, and all our suffering and assistance will be for naught.
As is probably expected, I find myself in the group that believes it can work. As evidence, I look at such places as the former Soviet nations. These eastern bloc countries have taken great strides from the tyranny of Communist rule to become some of Europe’s leaders in economic and social freedoms. Afghanistan, a country that for thousands of years has been a land of squabbling warlords, only periodically drawn into community only by the desire to repel foreign invaders, has just had a presidential election, and appears to be on its way to becoming a shining light in its region. Such countries as Japan, ruled by an Emporer up until WWII, is now one of the leading economic powers in Asia.
I think that all people, regardless of race, creed, country of origin, are fundamentally equal. We are all interested in simple things like providing for our families and our futures. We all want security and freedom. I think the people of Iraq, like the people of Afghanistan and Japan before them, will fight to shake the bonds of oppression and assert these desires for freedom. They are fighting against a determined enemy and need our help, but they will ultimately prevail.
It is not a question of whether Iraq can succeed, for Iraq MUST succeed. We started them down a long and dangerous road, but it will be well worth it when they reach the end. They are but one nation who has started the journey down that road, but I believe all will make that journey in the end.
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