Delusions

Delusions About Iraq
By Daniel G. Jennings
I don’t know what it is but there’s something about the present war in Iraq that produces delusions in the American mind.
In the Bush White House and in neoconservative (by the way what is a neoconservative anyway?) circles we have the delusion that Americans can bring democracy, progress and modernization to Iraq by driving around Baghdad in Hummers and tanks. If that doesn’t work the Americans can get out and build a school or hand a few candy bars to Iraqi children. If that fails we can always hand Iraqis US weapons and uniforms and in the process turn former Baathist thugs into good democratic soldiers and policemen.
Closely related to this is the delusion that Iraq can be transformed into Canada by having Iraqis hold democratic rituals. First we had the elections in January remember them they were supposed to create a new government that would solve all of Iraq’s problems. Now we have the constitutional convention, where a bunch of Iraqis locked into a hotel room can write a constitution that will save Iraq. That having failed the cycle of delusion will continue with another election.
The media of course at least buys into some of these delusions filling our TV screens with pictures of Iraqis voting or playing soldier to reassure us that “progress” is being made. Analysts middle aged white guys in expensive suits appear on screen to tell us that this is progress.
This cycle of delusion wouldn’t be so frightening if there was intelligent or realistic thinking on the other side of the Aisle. There isn’t the Democrats appear to be as deluded as the Republicans are.
The hard left, the self-proclaimed “peace movement,” and its apologists in the Democratic establishment and Pat Buchanan tell us we can solve all of Iraq’s problems by pulling out and bringing the troops home. All this would do is clear the way for Al Qaeda to move in and organize an Islamic Republic of Iraq and set up training camps. This would be preceded by a blood bath in which Sunnis, Kurds and Shiites will take turns massacring each other. The US would have no choice but to move back in, thus clearing the way for a bloodier and far more destructive conflict. Not to mention larger and better organized terrorist attacks on the US and other countries.
Establishment Democrats appear equally caught up in delusion many of them have called for internationalizing the war. That is turning the war over to the United Nations or some coalition of European nations. As the Democratic leaders know well and good the UN has neither the resources or expertise to takeover the Iraq War. Nor do the Europeans and even if they did, they lack the will to do so.
Then there’s the send more troops over there demands which we’ve heard for the last two years. This might work in the short run, we could put a soldier on every street corner in Iraq and things would quiet down. The insurgents would simply hide their guns under the bed and wait their chance. After a few months the GIs would go home, the bad guys would dig out their guns and the insurgency would start up again. Then we’d have to do it again, it didn’t work in Vietnam it won’t work in Iraq.
So what is needed in Iraq policy? Some honest and realistic thinking. It’s time for our leaders to realize that we won’t create democracy over night in Iraq so it is time for a workable realistic political settlement. Perhaps a Shiite theocratic dictatorship with military, security and police forces powerful enough to crush the insurgents something like Franco’s Spain that could develop into democracy in the long run or breaking Iraq up into three different states, Shiite, Sunni and Kurd.
Unfortunately we’re not going to see such a solution until we abandon the delusions that come from a dangerous mix of wishful thinking and misplaced idealism.