“Helping” Iraq

So it seems that Iraq’s new government has been arresting British troops for things like shooting police officers for resisting arrest. So essentially, the police walk up to the British soldiers, they say you’re under arrest, the soldiers say, “Piss off, you don’t have the authority.”, the police try to use force, and the British kill them.

An interesting technique for dealing with a soverign government, to be sure. As a result, the new, coalition U.S./U.K. installed Iraqi government has issued a command to all of its forces saying they are not to cooperate with the British any longer.

I’m confused, what part of this whole damn thing seems like a good idea anymore? They don’t want us there. They don’t have our values. They don’t want our values. And the only way they’re going to accept our way of living is by force — force that spawns the insurgency we see today.

We are essentially on the verge of giving this new government enough power to say exactly what it’s been wanting to say for months now — “Get the fuck out. We don’t even like you.” It’s so funny. Essentially only one of two things can happen:

1. The new government we put into place demands that we take our shit and go home, at which point we leave and the country goes all to hell — which then in turn makes the sacrifices of everyone killed nearly worthless.
2. We realize the above would happen, and we stay there with complete control while forcing media outlets to pretend the Iraqis are in charge. The Iraqis will know they’re not, however, and will become increasingly more sympathetic to the insurgency. More and more of our soldiers die, more and more billions are dumped into the futility that is “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, and we end up pulling out a few years later anyway looking like defeated idiots. Which is it going to be? I’d say we’re right on the cusp of having to choose which way to go. My only hope is that the next president will come in and do the right thing. What’s the right thing? Say to the world,

   “The previous administration truly believed that there were weapons of mass destruction here. They were wrong. We’re leaving, and we will continue to suppport your endeavor through the auspices of the U.N., and a new “true” coalition (dozens of countries) designed to help Iraq build an actual soverign government. If that government wants to be Muslim and have, “I hate America” on the floor of the main building, then so be it. We want to help them build their government, and we don’t care what form it takes.”

What this would do is associate America’s insolence over the last 8 years with Bush and not with America itself. It’s vital that we do this. It’s vital that the world know the U.S. can be Kennedy and Clinton (or even Reagan and and Nixon) and not just Bush. Only once this has been said loud and clear can the healing of our world image begin.