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‘Triumph’ in Iraq

A young corporal signaled me before I entered an air-conditioned dining facility here in Iraq. As an embedded subject matter expert, I teach a number of courses when not in the field, and I recognized the Marine from my just-concluded Iraqi history lecture. As he approached, I anticipated the typical post-lesson inquiry pertaining to Saddam’s Baathist regime, or how Mesopotamian history substantiates the Bible. Instead, this Marine merely offered nine words: “You’ve made me realize … this is worth the sacrifice.” As I watched him depart, I thought about his statement and the deeper implications therein.

My Iraqi history class meets at Al Asad Airfield, and is primarily attended by junior Marines and Navy personnel. At times, the discussion can be rather esoteric, so I attempt to close each session by demonstrating the relationship between historical facts and present-day conditions. I try to explain why Iraq’s past makes the current American military presence necessary. Not surprisingly, most of my military students do not understand the rationale for their sacrifice in Iraq, and are irritated to spend their tours dispensing Beanie Babies to Iraqi civilians when they’ve trained for combat.

In a nation as ethnically, linguistically and religiously diverse as Iraq, cohesive liberal government has proved a chimera since the dawn of time. Glib press reports often describe Iraq’s population as being 20 percent Sunni, 20 percent Kurd, and 60 percent Shiah, but this is a gross oversimplification. Actually, Iraq is significantly more diverse, home to countless ethnic groups and scores of recognized religions.

Six years since the inception of the Iraq war, critics seem bewildered by present circumstances. Thanks to the blood and resilience of Americans, Iraqis now live in relative peace as prosperity and confidence return to Mesopotamia. For 5,000 years, conquering armies have subdued Iraq’s population and pilfered her resources. The U.S. has practiced a different model. Through civility and benevolence, we are providing the security and political conditions for a genuine democracy to take root.

This begs the question: If the U.S. is capable of establishing a free, democratic state among the world’s most diverse and divisive population, who is to say democracy cannot exist anywhere, regardless of demographics, history, or religion? But by establishing democracy in Iraq, the free world can verify that democratic governance is genuinely universal and uniquely capable of existing in any social or religious context. We endeavor in Iraq, not because establishment of Iraqi democracy is simple, but because it was once considered impossible. In short, by reason of complexity, institution of democratic Iraqi governance could prove democracy’s ultimate triumph.

-- Lee H. Bagan, civilian intelligence specialist , al Asad, Iraq

PIRATES’ HARRIED HISTORY

This is in response to the letter “The pirate problem” [May 18]. I’ve noticed that a lot of service members have an opinion very similar, but the means mentioned, consisting of a more heavy-handed approach with armed guards that have shoot-to-kill orders and naval warships, will completely miss the mark. It is a quick fix for a much more deeply rooted problem.

The current problem is a function of our own policies in the 1990s, very similar to our current issues in Afghanistan, reaching back to the 1980s. We were there and left without cultivating infrastructure in both cases. In Afghanistan, we left a vacuum of power, the Pashtun tribes rose up to seize power and the Taliban grew out of the ashes. Somalia, and the “Black Hawk Down” mission/book/movie, was a much more direct approach than Afghanistan. We stepped in to ensure humanitarian aid was being given, but after our losses, we got out and stayed away. The society that is there now is partly due to our standoff approach.

Second, the Gulf of Aden and the Mandeb Strait have long been notorious for piracy. It has just recently come into the international view, but has long been a problem because of the strategic location of the Horn of Africa and the sea traffic in the area.

Third, after the collapse of the Somali government, armed militias and warlords took over the fishing industry, which was the major source of income for Somalis. But they couldn’t fend off the international community, which seized the opportunity to illegally dump waste in Somali waters and fish off Somali shores. Somalis want their waters back, have no means of regular income, and pirates are putting the two pieces together in a very lucrative fashion.

There are deeply rooted issues here, and we must consider the issues below the surface to ever render a fix or an equitable return to normalcy for both the international community and Somalia.

-- Army Capt. Chaveso L. Cook, Fort Bragg, N.C.

LOOK BEYOND THE OATH

All of us who have, or are, serving in the armed forces recited either the oath of office or the enlistment oath. The challenge is to take them seriously. Reflect upon the seriousness and implications of taking an oath. Even though the oaths are different, the first and most important part is the promise to support and defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. Read the document you are taking a solemn vow to defend. It is shocking how many people have not read a document they vowed to uphold. It is also important to read and understand why it was written and the intent of the founders. Once you have read the Constitution (it is not that long), you should read other founding documents, such as the Federalist Papers. These papers were written to the public to gain support for the Constitution’s ratification.

Why is this so important? The Constitution of the United States is the foundation for the rule of law in our country. Without a foundation, a building will fall. The Constitution limits the power of the federal government over the states and guarantees individual liberties. One of the basic tenants of the Founding Fathers was our rights are given by God and government cannot give these rights, it can only infringe upon them. If we err, and accept our rights come from a government, then that government has the power to take those rights away. As defenders of this document we need to understand these principles.

Some of us might be required to make tough decisions regarding the oath. Do I follow an order even if it violates the Constitution or is otherwise unlawful? What will I do if that decision will end my career? These are questions everyone in uniform needs to ask themselves.

-- Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian O’Donnell, Leavenworth, Kan.