Is the War in Iraq Really Over?

The war in Iraq is over! At least for now, for US troops, for America, it’s over. That part of the world has known war from the beginning of mankind. Remember, Iraq is the cradle of civilization, the Tigris/Euphrates river valley, Mesopotamia. There has always been war there, our departure won’t change that. It was the birthplace of the Babylonian civilization, it was the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire; the Euphrates river, as a water source, has been a source of conflict for centuries. Our departure will not change a culture of conflict in that region of the world.




Shock and awe was the beginning of a war against an enemy whose real threat to our country continues to be debated. I personally never agreed that Iraq or Saddam Hussein were a threat to me or to my way of life. Reports just prior to the final departure of combat troops from Iraq say that some American leaders describe the war to be worth the lost American lives and the financial expenditures. Oh really? Was it worth it, really worth it?



In approximate figures, we lost more than 4,500 American lives, and more than 30,000 service members were injured. No one really knows how much money we LOST over there, but many estimates exceed $1 trillion. What did we gain for this costly investment? It was worth all that? Tell that to war widows and orphans. Tell that to service members who will live out their lives without limbs. Tell that to hard working Americans like me whose 401K balances have plunged in part due to astronomical expenditures against a debatable enemy threat. We went into the war in response to the bombing of the world trade center in September, 2001. It took us several years, thousands of lives, and trillions of dollars to catch and kill Osama bin Laden, the accepted culprit who instigated the precipitating event. What is the state of affairs in Iraq?



Sunni and Shiite continue to battle for control of the streets, the villages, and the government. Who are these Sunni and Shiite. I’m no expert, but basically, these two groups differed on who should lead Islam after the death of the Prophet Mohammed in the year 632. The differences are intolerable and often times violent, hence the ongoing civil war in Iraq that started with the toppling of Hussein. Sunnis are the overwhelming majority and Hussein was Sunni. He was brutal in his assault on the minority Shiite people, but because the divide between the two factions is so deep and emotional, the Arab world did nothing to stop him because most of the Arab world is Sunni. This divide was at the core of his war with Iran.



Our relatively short stay in Iraq, even if you include our foray into Iraq in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, will not change 15 centuries of conflict. Given this history, it sounds pretty stupid to hear American leaders talk about the positive outcome of the war. I have said for more than 20 years, when arguing with my friends, that we have no business in the middle east. They are consenting adults and they will continue to kill each other. We cannot stop them, but we can withhold our money from them. They are consenting adults, they can kill each other AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE.



In 1978 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin received the Nobel Peace Prize; in 1994 Israeli Yitzak Rabin, Palestinian Yassar Arafat, and Israeli Shimon Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize; in 2003 Shirin Ebadi of Iran won the Nobel Peace Prize. Imagine that! So many peace prizes and so little peace! I propose that the Swedish Academy revoke their peace prizes because there is no peace in that land. It reminds me of the diploma that the Wizard of Oz gave the scarecrow, worthless.



I served in the Army and Army Reserve for 31 years. I was always ready to go do my duty. I was called up for Operation Iraqi Freedom, I saluted the flag and did what was expected of me. I was a battalion commander, I made sure all of those in my command saluted the flag and were combat ready. Alas, we were in the day room when shock and awe started and we missed the war. A couple of months later the Army decided they didn’t need us and they sent us home. While I didn’t agree with the Commander in Chief, I swore to obey his orders and I was going to fulfill my oath, come hell or high water. But just so you know, I didn’t agree with that decision then, and I don’t agree with that decision today.



Yes, there is revolution afoot in the middle east. Tunisia fell. Egypt fell. Libya fell. Syria is falling. There will be new governments. But in the land of Isaac and Ishmael can there be peace? Isaac and Ishmael were sons of Abraham. Isaac was born to Abraham’s wife, Sarah. Ishmael was born to Sarah’s Egyptian slave servant. Their conflict embodies the conflict of Jews and Arabs today, both claiming to be rightful heirs of God’s blessing, the original family feud, before the Hatfields and McCoys, before the Montagues and the Capulets. Whomever prevails in those countries will use their new positions of power to prevail over their enemies, that is what they do. Whomever prevails in those countries will not make peace with Yitzak, nor will they accept “the west” in peace.



I say to you, the war in Iraq was an exercise in futility. It was waged for reasons other than national security. It cost too many lives and too much money. We won nothing. The war in Afghanistan is the same. We will not change the Taliban, nor the Afghan nor the Pakistani world view. Let accept those differences and simply steer clear of them all. We can purchase our oil from them without having to “be in bed” with them. Tis better to pay more for oil than to spill blood for it. Tis better to accept differences than to install “democracy” in a land that doesn’t want it, for a people who don’t know what to do with it. Bring home American’s fighting men and women, stop making war widows and orphans. War wins very little, did you not learn that in Korea or Viet Nam.



Today, Kim Yong Un is the new dictator in North Korea. Sixty years after the armistice, Korea is still at war. Widespread famine persists in N Korea. I say bring our troops home from South Korea. If young Kim invades S Korea, let Japan and China spend their money and lose the lives of their countrymen to intercede. As Susan Powter said, “stop the insanity!”



I pray with my very essence for one thing - that my cynical prediction for the future of the middle east be wrong, that I may be forced to eat these words that I publish today.  May the God of Abraham make me take back what I write here.  May the Peace of the Lord be with us all.