Here's an example of how to create problems:
Coalition Provisional Authority Guy: "Welcome, sheikhs of the ((Al-Jubur)), ((Al-'Ubayd)), and ((Al-'Aza)).
Sheikhs: We welcome you, as well, respected Sir. We have come to ask if you have come here as a guest or as an occupier. If you say that you are our guests, we will defend you with our lives. If you say you are occupiers, then we will fight you until we are dead.
Coalition Provisional Authority Guy: "We are occupiers."
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Something like the above conversations actually happened sometime in April of 2003.
I stood behind our officers for five years as an enlisted person, and I support them to this day with all of my efforts. With that being written, I have some criticisms that I intend to be constructive.
I have no idea what the CPA was trying to do by offending the sheikhs. The removal of Saddam and his government from power created a huge power vacuum, and we needed somebody other than Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups to fill that vacuum.
What was the CPA thinking? How many lives might have been saved if we had allowed the sheikhs to fill that power vacuum while we rebuilt the central government? What would have happened if we had empowered the sheikhs to fulfill their historic role as keepers of the peace and settlers of disputes?
This is not the President's fault. I suspect it might not be entirely Paul Bremer's fault. I am done blaming people, as this is most irresponsible.
Rather, I suggest that we really start taking advantage of working with tribal leadership. It's going to cost money, but I guarantee that it will be cheaper than bailing out Wall Street.
Whose lives have been saved lately by Wall Street, anyway?
Tribal leadership has very secular and material interests to deal with. We as Americans can help in that regard, and from a strategic perspective it may help achieve many of our benevolent objectives in Iraq.
By honoring these sheikhs, we may find ourselves in the position of being able to withdraw from Iraq having left it in a better condition than it was before we came. Thus, we might leave Iraq with our honor.
"The mind is for seeing, the heart is for listening." ----Arabic Proverb
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4 comments:
Not knowing to do the job right, the United States should get out of this bloody business. Iraq needs another dictator to re-unite and rule her own country. Iraqis should be left to "sink or swim" on their own.
Insh-allah.
Well, I hope we can apply some lessons learned - that's why I wrote my book. I want Iraqis to have hope and a good future in their own country. We can help, and we should help. I understand where you are coming from, but I am not a supporter of the strong-man theory of Iraqi politics even though it might be the best and most culturally appropriate solution. As for sink and swim, I believe that our Iranian "friends" would like us out so they can fill the power vacuum. Realpolitik says we should stay, but the decision on that will either come from Obama or McCain. Iraqis look to their west and see Saudi's strong relationship with us. I think that they want that, even though they jawbone the opposite way. Thanks for the comment!
Wouldn't the better response have been: "We're neither guests nor occupiers. We are liberators."
You are right, Kafir, however, the word liberator has certain connotations that I prefer to avoid. It's a bit condescending - and the more I realize how hard it is to live in an area that is so resource poor, the more respect and understanding I have for Iraqis. For example, do Sunnis feel liberated, or do they feel as if they were placed under the rule of Shi'ites? It's not that I wish to defend Sunnis - I just think it is best to crawl out of our own paradigms and start seeing how Iraqis see things. Then, we can work with them in ways that are wiser.
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