America needs to remember its founding ideals, which include doing what is right. My country right or wrong is never the right approach. As the lone remaining super power, we do not want to make the mistake of being the bad guy or bully of the world. We want to be the protector and help enforce international law and what is right.
We should address evil where it exists. However, to attack a country that has not made a substantial overt action against the American people is not our way. We need to remember President Theodore Roosevelt and his policy of “speak softly and carry a big stick.” When someone has been proven to have done something to us, then we can and should retaliate.
Many in the world would see our invasion of Iraq as an attack against their Muslim brothers and sisters and not just the removal of an evil and corrupt dictator. They would see the destruction of men, women and children who supported Saddam and died in his cause, and they will see it on live TV. Once again, they would assume that Israel has determined the policy of the United States. Massive demonstrations and calls for vengeance would echo throughout the world, especially in Muslim countries. Do we really the Muslim people against us?
Nations, organizations and people who are left without a military or diplomatic means of obtaining justice for the deaths of their sons and loved ones would use what is available to obtain restitution. They would join with others to fight the Israelis and Americans. We already know how the Palestinians fight against the superior firepower of the Israelis. When this vengeance comes to our soil, it will not distinguish between those who opposed and those who supported the war. World opinion would not support the U.S. effort but would condemn us as aggressors. The pope has called this war a “defeat for humanity.” Many people in the United States oppose the war for moral and religious principles and will continue to do so. Many more will join the anti-war movement. We can anticipate the Iraq war being one of the most unpopular wars in American history.
Will we have invaded a sovereign nation without proof that it is a major threat to our country? There are indications that many nations have weapons of mass destruction. We deserve to be told more than that Saddam is a madman and will use weapons of mass destruction against us. If we have knowledge of plans to use them against us, we need to make them public. All nations and people would understand our actions to remove that threat. If not, our aims would be unclear.
Is it for the oil? Iraq has substantial oil resources that are important to the U.S. economy. How those oil resources are used affect our economic health. Saddam Hussein has vowed to burn the oil rather than have it come under American control.
Many people are wondering if the president is trying to accomplish what his father did not do when he had the opportunity. In the final stages of the Gulf War, the removal of Saddam Hussein would have been understandable. But now, after he has been held in check for so many years, that action is not as easily understood.
What is our strategy for this war? Is it the removal of Saddam or the complete destruction of the infrastructure of Iraq? Could Saddam be ousted with secret forces and operatives without the aid of 200,000 men? Is the world to see, via live TV, a country reduced to rubble?
What is Saddam doing differently today from last year? What is the urgency of the American invasion? Why not wait until the United Nations determines that Saddam Hussein is in violation of U.N. resolutions. Then, with U.N. support, action can be taken. If we cannot obtain the support of the United Nations, how strong is our case for war?
We need an American Foreign Policy articulated that addresses these issues and acknowledges the repercussions that are certain to follow. The American people need leadership, not political rhetoric. Failure of the United States to handle its role as the lone super power will undermine the American people spiritually, economically and politically. The results can be chaos at home and a cauldron in the Middle East that will provide unknown consequences for decades to come.
Bill Stripling is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and a recipient of the Silver Star for valor in combat during the Vietnam War. His assignments included tours in the Pentagon dealing with the Middle East and on the staff of Central Command, the military organization responsible for action in the Middle East.
