Iraq and the Arabs' Future (long)

Foreign Affairs ^ | January, 2003 | Fouad Ajami

[Bayou City]

Good post. I just came across this article In Foreign Affairs Magazine and was going to post it. I find the following two passages interesting.

There will be Europeans looking for cracks in the conduct of the distant great power. The judgment that matters will be made at home, in the United States itself, as to the costs and returns of imperial burden.

It is with sobering caution, then, that a war will have to be waged. But it should be recognized that the Rubicon has been crossed. Any fallout of war is certain to be dwarfed by the terrible consequences of America's walking right up to the edge of war and then stepping back, letting the Iraqi dictator work out the terms of another reprieve. It is the fate of great powers that provide order to do so against the background of a world that takes the protection while it bemoans the heavy hand of the protector. This new expedition to Mesopotamia would be no exception to that rule.

[Utah Girl]

Good points. I watched CNN today (at the dentist's office), and got really tired of the reporting on the protests. "Shouldn't the Bush administration take into account how many people are against the war? How do our soldiers feel when they see all those protestors who aren't supporting them?" At one point in time, a line has to be drawn in the sand, and the ruthless dictator must be taken care of. I keep asking the anti-war people what they would do and they just keep parroting the line that a peaceful solution must be found.

[McGavin999]

All we can do is pin our hopes on those Iraquis who have lived amoung us long enough to figure out the benefits of living free. They are the only ones who can show those who have been kept under the yoke of Saddam that it's worth the challange. If they are not up to the task, this may well fail, but if the are.....there is a chance. We must take that chance.

Freedom can not really be "given" to anyone. It must be worked for, bled for, sacrificed for. I hope they make it.

[Utah Girl]

Freedom can not really be "given" to anyone. It must be worked for, bled for, sacrificed for. I hope they make it.

That is worth repeating. We can give them the gift of freedom, but what they do with it afterwards is up to them. I have been reading many opinion pieces by Iraqis who have fled Iraq, and they are saying that we really need to invade Iraq to get rid of Hussein.

[McGavin999]

UG, it's one of the main reasons I have so much hope for the kids in Iran. They are going to do this for themselves and they will have the absolute best chance of making a go of it.

I've been reading a lot of Iranian threads here on the board (for some reason not many Freepers seem interested) and what is happening in Iran is truely amazing. As much as I would like us to help them, it's so important that they reach out and grab freedom with both hands. I think that they will.

[Utah Girl]

I've also been keeping track of the struggles Iran is going through right now. Michael Ledeen has many good columns at NRO about Iran. I'm hoping that when the US frees Iraq, it will give more hope to others in the Middle East, that they can overthrow their despotic leaders.

[McGavin999]

If you're interested, I'll ping you to some of the threads that have been posted by some of our American-Iranian community. Most of them are actually from Iran and are very, very interesting. The ones with the pictures of the student protests were wonderful.

[Utah Girl]

I'm very interested in the pings, thanks so much. I'll try to remember to bump them too.

[Valin]

BUMP!

[Valin]

I bump therefore I am.

[Utah Girl]

:)