Greg’s Corner October 2006
Iraq: What Should America Do? Part I
By Greg Petty, Operations Manager

During the run up to the Iraq invasion in late 2002 and early 2003, many Americans of all political persuasions, myself included, believed the right thing to do was to remove Saddam Hussein from power. My justification was the knowledge of the number of people in his own country he had slaughtered and his horrendous reign of terror, of which America had some
culpability (U.S. weapon sales to him during war with Iran).

Looking back from the vantage point of late 2006, we now know that of all the justifications given to us for the war, the only viable one was that Hussein was a brutal dictator. Many failures took us down the path of invasion including spectacularly inaccurate intelligence, presentation of knowingly inaccurate information to Congress by the Bush Administration and George W. Bush’s personal determination that Iraq was the next most important terrorist threat. Add to this scenario the massive failure of most of the media to question the veracity of those justifications–to educate and inform us–which ultimately led us to believe the Administration and support the invasion.

As much as it pains me to say this, the French at the UN Security Council hearings were right. Take more time, enforce and complete the inspections, continue the sanctions and maintain the no fly zones. Saddam was in a box and unable to threaten anyone. The weapons of mass destruction and the support of al-Qaeda were red herrings.

In one of my articles before the invasion, I warned us not to be too hasty going into Iraq. I cited some of the area’s history and how the British withdrew after numerous rebellions while they were in control of the area. Of all our allies, England should have warned us what we would face in the “created” country of Iraq. Tony Blair was just too chummy with George Bush and apparently neither “leader” is much of a historian.

A Brief History
One of the recent proposals introduced by a Shi’a legislator in the new Iraqi government was to allow Iraq to become a federated state. His proposal recognizes the historic territories these groups have controlled throughout their history (the Kurds in the north, the Sunnis in the middle provinces and the Shi’a majority in the south), as well as the recognition that a unified Iraq has never really existed except under threat imposed by dictatorship.

After World War I, the Allied powers granted the British the former territory ruled by the Ottoman Empire. Iraq was created from three distinctly different areas and cultures. The British ruled the country from Baghdad but continuing strife in the territories reduced their presence. In 1932, the British granted King Faisal independence but retained its military bases and rights to transit the country. That same year, King Faisal died and Iraq has since suffered through a series of military coups and dictators. Britain invaded Iraq in 1941 fearing the ruler, Rashid Ali, might cut oil supplies to the West due to his Nazi leanings.

The occupation ended in 1947 and the British installed the Hashemite monarchy that lasted until 1958 when it was overthrown by a military coup. Add a few more military coups and in 1968, the Ba’ath Party overthrew Rahman Arif. The ascendancy of Saddam Hussein had begun.

The Sunni dominated Ba’ath Party under Saddam taking complete control of Iraq by sheer murder and intimidation against all other groups. Shi’a and Kurds were ruthlessly subjugated. The world watched in horror in the late 80’s when Saddam gassed thousands of Kurds in the northern provinces. Those not killed by the gas were thrown into pits and shot. After the Gulf War invasion to take back Kuwait, the U.S. encouraged the Shi’a to revolt but failed to support them Allied forces then sat by while Saddam’s forces killed many Shi’a in retribution. Thus was born the No-Fly Zones.

Wonder why very few in Iraq trust America and why the reservoir of good faith after the 2003 invasion did not last long? “They are going to greet us in the streets with flowers.”

Sunni versus Shi’a
Experts tell us that 85% of Islam practices the religion as Sunnis. The remaining 15% are Shi’a, or “Followers of Ali” who believe in a different succession of rightful heirs to the prophet Muhammad. The Shi’a have historically been persecuted by the Sunnis virtually everywhere they are not a majority of the population. Saddam, of course, took their persecution to new levels but it was primarily because they were the majority that had to be controlled and not for religious differences.

Three years after the invasion, the Pottery Barn rule applies (rule compliments of Colin Powell – and Pottery Barn probably has no such rule): “You broke it, you own it.”

So now, we are all asking ourselves “What should we do in Iraq?”

See Greg’s Corner, November 2006, for Part II of this story.