To the editor:
After more than four years of war in Iraq, there is a debate whether we should have a deadline for withdrawing our troops from that country. In the meantime, the administration is increasing the number of American soldiers there and has extended their tours of duty; also there appears to be some in the administration who are beating the war drum for some kind of strike against Iran. It seems the administration has no qualms about increasing the level of our commitment to war in the region, and that if we give them more leeway, they will muck things up all the more. It is difficult to have confidence in the administration’s decision-making. Consider the following:
• The war was initiated under the premise that the Iraqi government was developing weapons of mass destruction – this claim has been shown to be false.
• After taking the country the administration had all the Iraqi military personnel and a large portion of the civil service fired – thus creating an effective opposition group and effectively setting the stage for a civil war by excluding powerful Sunni elements from participation in the government.
• Over time things seem to be getting worse — we are sending more troops there rather than fewer, tours of duty are extended, and casualties mount for civilians and soldiers alike. More and more resources are tied up there and there is concern over the strain this puts on military service and recruitment of new members – and the suffering of Iraqi civilians seems to grow as evidenced by the increasing number of refugees there.
• The reputation of our country overseas has been severely damaged by what appears to much of the rest of the world to be an aggressive war waged for power and oil – this only serves our enemies’ interests and hurts our long-term prospects for peace and security. This war has not made us popular in other lands and has sown seeds of discontent that we may rue at a later date.
The war in Iraq has been and is counter-productive for our country and leaves one speculating as to what the brains behind the government are really thinking about. In any case, it seems prudent to set some limits on our involvement in Iraq. Setting up a timetable to leave lets the Iraqis know we don’t want to occupy their country forever and that they need to find a workable combination to govern themselves by.
Also, setting a timeline for withdrawal would reflect the will of the people of the United States not to let this war drag on indefinitely. It is a good expression of democracy to have duly-elected legislators set limits on how much and for how long the peoples’ money and blood will be put at risk in this war. After the way things have gone, it seems foolish to give the administration a blank-check in this regard. We really should have set a timetable/deadline to leave two years ago, and we would be out the door by now.
Peter Sexton
Presque Isle
