Everywhere you go the talk is about the "surge" - a proposal under consideration by the White House to dramatically increase U.S. troops in Iraq to stem the tide of chaos (the "McCain doctrine" says John Edwards). Our newly installed House and Senate leadership have appropriately condemned the proposal.
But I reject out of hand any suggestion that American troops be hastily withdrawn. Whether or not we like it - and I don't - we are in Iraq and we created the mess. We have to do whatever we can and spend whatever it costs to help rebuild Iraqi society. We cannot, as the U.S. did at the conclusion of the 1991 Iraq War, simply withdraw and allow the humanitarian crisis there to escalate. Multinational troops will be needed in Iraq for many years to help with basic security. Hopefully, other nations will contribute more if they see evidence the U.S. is willing to adjust policy.
It was the height of political stupidity not to follow-up the invasion of Iraq with a Marshall-type plan for putting the nation back together.
This fall the National Council of Churches USA released a pastoral letter calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops but wisely linked any such move to the rebuilding of Iraq.
...we call upon the U.S. Government to recognize that the continued presence of occupying forces has not provided meaningful security for Iraqi citizens and only exacerbates escalating violence, and begin an immediate phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Iraq with a timetable that provides for an expeditious final troop withdrawal. And we further call upon our government to link this withdrawal plan to benchmarks for rebuilding Iraqi society, since the reconstruction of infrastructure, the restoration of essential services, and a foundation for economic growth are necessary to nurture Iraqi hopes for a stable future, and to steps to meet the security concerns of all Iraqis, including the more vulnerable, smaller ethnic and religious communities. (Emphasis added)
We know what happens when powerful nations invade and then abandon countries where the economy and the infrastructure are destroyed. Think Afghanistan post the Soviet Invasion. Or dust off your old history books and remember how Hitler and the Nazis where able to turn Germany's humiliation and devastated economy into an opportunity to gain power.
Progressives who fought to stop this war from ever happening (the good guys) need to start better articulating a vision for how to bring this war to a close without causing even more harm to the Iraqi people. The letter from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to President Bush never mentions rebuilding Iraq. Our obligation to Iraq cannot simply end with the withdrawal of troops.
