(no subject)
5:20 pm The United States is violating its own policy of world democracy abroad as well as at home.
In a recent surge of effort to colonize any oil-producing (but politically corrupt) countries, the United States has made its move on the Middle East by invading both Iraq and Afghanistan. Strategically speaking, these were very good moves. Not only are the invaded countries oil-rich (Iraq produces about 2.25 million bbl/day, according to the CIA world factbook), but geographically speaking, it is very important that the United States has at least one outpost in the Middle East. China and India are the two fastest-growing economies in the world today, and with militarily powerful Russia to the north, it is not impossible to forsee a 1984-esque Eurasian alliance within the next half-century. Such an alliance would surely provoke world war if it invaded any country, and it would almost as surely win (for explanation of this statement, look at any political map of the world) due merely to its geographical position. If such superpowers as China, India, and Russia were to war amongst each other, the conflict(s) would result in the deaths of millions of people, with or without world war.
But strategy is never the whole picture. Over 15,000 Iraqi civilians and over 2,000 American soldiers have died for the aforementioned "strategy" since the US-led invasion. Even without Saddam Hussein in power, civil strife has continued in great measure, with suicide bombings terrorizing civilians almost daily. In many cases, living standards have gone down rather than up since the invasion. It is now dangerous for children to walk to school in many areas for fear of the suicide bombers, and any person seen associating with US troops, even to obtain food, is often in danger. In such an environment, it is difficult for liberty to survive, let alone thrive.
So how can the United States fix what it has done? To back out of Iraq now would mean leaving the country in the hands of rebels. How can a brand-new constitution survive in a lawless society? But the longer the United States stays in Iraq, more of the rebels are antagonized, and violence escalates on an almost-daily basis.
Iraq will take a while to recover from the injuries it has been dealt, both by the United States and extremists from within Iraq itself. As soon as stable government and military are established, the United States must withdraw from Iraq, regardless of strategy.
In a recent surge of effort to colonize any oil-producing (but politically corrupt) countries, the United States has made its move on the Middle East by invading both Iraq and Afghanistan. Strategically speaking, these were very good moves. Not only are the invaded countries oil-rich (Iraq produces about 2.25 million bbl/day, according to the CIA world factbook), but geographically speaking, it is very important that the United States has at least one outpost in the Middle East. China and India are the two fastest-growing economies in the world today, and with militarily powerful Russia to the north, it is not impossible to forsee a 1984-esque Eurasian alliance within the next half-century. Such an alliance would surely provoke world war if it invaded any country, and it would almost as surely win (for explanation of this statement, look at any political map of the world) due merely to its geographical position. If such superpowers as China, India, and Russia were to war amongst each other, the conflict(s) would result in the deaths of millions of people, with or without world war.
But strategy is never the whole picture. Over 15,000 Iraqi civilians and over 2,000 American soldiers have died for the aforementioned "strategy" since the US-led invasion. Even without Saddam Hussein in power, civil strife has continued in great measure, with suicide bombings terrorizing civilians almost daily. In many cases, living standards have gone down rather than up since the invasion. It is now dangerous for children to walk to school in many areas for fear of the suicide bombers, and any person seen associating with US troops, even to obtain food, is often in danger. In such an environment, it is difficult for liberty to survive, let alone thrive.
So how can the United States fix what it has done? To back out of Iraq now would mean leaving the country in the hands of rebels. How can a brand-new constitution survive in a lawless society? But the longer the United States stays in Iraq, more of the rebels are antagonized, and violence escalates on an almost-daily basis.
Iraq will take a while to recover from the injuries it has been dealt, both by the United States and extremists from within Iraq itself. As soon as stable government and military are established, the United States must withdraw from Iraq, regardless of strategy.