November, 2007
To Freedom
Anthony Aspesi
The most important reason the U.S. military is in Iraq right now is to prevent al Qaeda from establishing a strong hold there where they can base their operations from Iraq like they did in Afghanistan. In General Petraeus’ report to Congress, he made it clear that Iraq is a central front in the War on Terror for al Qaeda and that a victory for al Qaeda would be an incredible boost to their morale. His colleague, General Jones said, “Terrorists groups including al Qaeda are at war to achieve their goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Iraq.”
The Iraq Study Group Report concludes that “because of the importance of Iraq, the potential for catastrophe, and the role and commitments of the United States in initiating events that have led to the current situation, we believe it would be wrong for the United States to abandon [Iraq] through a precipitate withdrawal of troops and support. A premature American departure from Iraq would almost certainly produce greater sectarian violence and further deterioration of conditions, leading to a number of the adverse consequences outlined above. The near-term results would be a significant power vacuum, greater human suffering, regional destabilization, and a threat to the global economy. Al Qaeda would depict our withdrawal as a historic victory. If we leave and Iraq descends into chaos, the long-range consequences could eventually require the United States to return.”
A chaotic Iraq would be catastrophic for the region, and could draw in surrounding nations in a regional sectarian war.
The report also points out the significance of the role of the United States in initiating events. The honor of our nation and the honor of the men and women in uniform fighting in Iraq rest upon how we leave the country. If we leave before the new government has established itself and is capable of taking care of the Iraqi people, we will have committed a great wrong against those people. There is hope though because General Petraeus has told Congress that the Surge is working and that Iraqi security forces are taking control of more of the country, providing the stability the new government needs. If people do not understand the value of our country’s honor and the honor of those who serve as something of the utmost importance, than I do not know the same America they know.
These are just the immediate strategic consequences. More importantly, a strong and stable democracy in Iraq that will support the U.S. in the War on Terror would be an invaluable asset. A free and democratic Iraq would be a beacon of light for the rest of the middle east and prove that the United States is not out to destroy or conquer them. It would give us credibility and draw support away from Iran, whose President has stated a desire to “wipe [Israel] off the map”, and is aggresively moving towards a fully functional nuclear weapons program within the next decade.