Iraq Sovereignty: A Questionable Liberation

To avoid a potential mountain of attacks that could disrupt the smooth transfer of power in Iraq, the US Government today transferred power to an interim Iraqi government three days ahead of schedule. This approach isn’t a surprise to anyone that follows the recent level of assaults by terrorist groups bent on disrupting the effective transition. In a discussion with a few friends some months ago we estimated that the transfer would be done at least a few days early, indicated by prevailing situations and a need to create an element of surprise to the diehard terrorists.

If nothing else, I am pleased that the pressure may shift from the United States to the Iraqis themselves. As much as we may think we know what is best for the Iraqis, we certainly cannot exactly understand their ways of thinking as shown among others, over the months by their “excitement today and anger tomorrow” towards the United States and its allies. Ghazi Al-Yawer, an Iraqi and the interim leader, would have his recommendations and ideas on what is best and how to proceed with addressing the insurgents prevalent all over the country. He has both the cultural, religious, and experiential knowledge of working in an environment of this nature. His methodologies may be different but he must be given true power to create a new frame of reasoning to address the situation. This specific direction of action (shift in power) in Iraq at this point is commendable. It is an effort and a primary method to eventually withdrawing our honorable troops who may never recover from their experiences. If Al-Yawer’s approach seems crude and inhumane, we must not question him for now. If his methods are characterized by “an eye for an eye” motto, we must allow him to proceed. What is most important is to give him a chance to succeed especially among a set of fundamentalists that views the slashing of the throats of innocents civilians as a process of achieving their cause…whatever that is.

Without rushing to judgment, it is important that we take stock of our success and failures as it relates to Iraq. Have we truly triumphed in Iraq? Have we gained a genesis of new enemies with an agony of defeat on our shoulders? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow best answers this question succinctly in his words when he crisply said, “Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and applause of the throng, but in ourselves are triumph and defeats.” To this end, I defer judgment to you, as it is best for everyone to use his or her estimation in deciding if the United States has won or lost the battle. You must decide if this is liberation for The United States, Great Britain, Iraq, etc. It is only in your own thoughts and findings can we agree on an end result though history will always find a way to present it uniquely. Militants actions aside, the long lines we endure at the airport locally and internationally aside, the unforgettable point is the death of innocent civilians over the years dating back to September 11, 2001.

Iraq may not be the location we should be in right now but this point, though repeated religiously by various news outlets, is moot and a resolution or finality to our current situation is what is required. At the tail end, the drivers of the main decisions regarding the war should be made to give accounts of their actions in an effort to empty their minds and get past this sad duration in our lives. The twist however, is the willingness of the terrorists to let go and focus on more positive and maybe productive ways to attain their causes. Enough hearts have been broken, enough sorrows created through the lost of lives our mothers, fathers, spouses, sons, daughters, etc. The pain runs deep for most and as hard as it is to recommend letting go; it is not often that easy recognizing the “melancholy and fear” that has been created in our minds. As tough as it may be, Norman Vincent Pearl helps us in a summative way by recommending that “a primary method for gaining a mind full of peace is to empty the mind” and let go of the past. Let’s go start on a new day and perhaps for some, a whole new beginning.