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September 26, 2004
Must-Bomb-Credibility-At-Stake
Here’s a fairly typical rundown of the arguments against withdrawal, from the Week in Review section of the New York Times:
But the counterarguments are also powerful. Withdrawal in the absence of stability would amount to a devastating admission of failure and a blow to America's world leadership. The credibility of the United States, already compromised, would be devastated. More than 1,000 young lives would appear to have been blotted out for naught.
Is this not the definition of insanity? For one thing, it’s abundantly clear that our presence is the primary reason for instability in Iraq. The people of Iraq have little no to no chance at gaining control of their country and bringing about modicum of order as long as we continue to occupy them. Catch the latest numbers from the Iraqi Ministry of Health, obtained by the Knight-Ridder:
Operations by U.S. and multinational forces and Iraqi police are killing twice as many Iraqis - most of them civilians - as attacks by insurgents, according to statistics compiled by the Iraqi Health Ministry and obtained exclusively by Knight Ridder. According to the ministry, the interim Iraqi government recorded 3,487 Iraqi deaths in 15 of the country's 18 provinces from April 5 - when the ministry began compiling the data - until Sept. 19. Of those, 328 were women and children. Another 13,720 Iraqis were injured, the ministry said. While most of the dead are believed to be civilians, the data include an unknown number of police and Iraqi national guardsmen. Many Iraqi deaths, especially of insurgents, are never reported, so the actual number of Iraqis killed in fighting could be significantly higher. During the same period, 432 American soldiers were killed.
Plus, we are continuing to bomb Fallujah, Baghdad, and other cities -- ostensibly in “surgical strikes” against terrorist “safe houses” but from the ground reports keep indicating many children, women and ordinary residents are getting killed.
Of course, the word “safe house” is just plain old disinformation because it connotes a place used by those hiding from the population, keeping a secret from the residents. As all reporting from Fallujah shows, the resistance is quite popular in that town -- which is relatively unsurprising considering we killed about 1,000 of them through aerial bombing in Spring and who-knows-how-many since then.
As for the credibility and the leadership of the United States, how much worse can it get? Here, the media and the political class seems to have forgotten about Abu Ghraib and the uncovering of systematic torture at U.S.-run detention centers -- but why would the rest of the world? And unlike our media here, the rest of the world’s media does not pretend that we’re in Iraq for a noble cause, supported and wanted by at least a majority the people of Iraq.
I suppose we could subdue the whole country by levelling it but someone should explain how that’s supposed to make us safer.
Of course, there is the “1,000 young lives would appear to have been blotted out for naught” argument -- and, of course tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, but who cares about that. Even considering only American lives, this is the most callous, most insane of the reasons. Will the question get any easier after 2,000 American soldiers die in Iraq?
In sum, none of the stated reasons --stability, democracy, weapons of mass destruction, Saddam-Al Qaeda links -- stand the test of reasoned argument. And the sad truth of the matter is that we knew all this before the war. And sadder still is the fact that the truth gets spoken less now, even after so much death and destruction and such blatant evidence of the falsity of the edifice of pretexts.
This is a political reality caused by the fact that the anti-war movement pretty much disappeared from the political scene after the invasion began and the anti-Bush movement -- at least for a while -- decided to try to run to the right of Bush with the vain hope that they could dislodge some of Bush’s base by appearing more war-mongerer-than-thou.
Alas, it didn’t work that way -- and hard to see how it could given the tight organization and ideological control the Republican party has over its base -- so now we have a bit more of some visible political opposition to the war itself rather than just the conduct of the war. So far it’s too little, and it’s certainly very late.
I suppose the real question is how long we’ll avoid the real questions about this war and how many people will die until then.
Posted by zeynep at September 26, 2004 09:57 PM
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Comments
//the media and the political class seems to have forgotten about Abu Ghraib and the uncovering of systematic torture at U.S.-run detention centers //
I'm at a loss for words, but for the remaining circus of parody.
So, to try to say 'anything' of it, a hypothetical, medias-fellows response: "Ah, yes! but the war has been going on for so long, and it must be that the people are getting tired of hearing about it ... or we are getting tired of covering it ... so, instead, we are proud to present: more sound-byte'd coverage about the local hay-rides!" ("oh, and yes, more commercials ... tee-hee")
"lights, camera, cue music!"
//and, of course tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, but who cares about that.//
"warning", more parodied spin:
"Indeed! We are there to save them, after all!"
"So, what's a little collateral damage? We have our place, our cars, our schools, our infrastructure, our fire departments, our hospitals, and our skies, free from bombing runs .. 'good to go'!"
"Oh yes, and this sanctity is brought to you, thanks to the mind of George Bush. and only he will ensure that it will continue!"
("The Bush campaign, buy into it!")
//In sum, none of the stated reasons --stability, democracy, weapons of mass destruction, Saddam-Al Qaeda links -- stand the test of reasoned argument//
"Bah, reasoned argument is out-dated, man. Bouncy music, sultry music, fast, sensational moving pictures, and oh those sleek, fast, hip, modern'o'stylish cars .. or would you prefer a super-burly model? something to pulverize those weak, leftist scum with, hehe! er ...... I mean ... heck, all the facets of the grand ol' materialism .. that's what you need."
("...he suggested, perhaps trying to 'inspire' the audience to believe it")
I know none of this addresses the issues.
Not in parody, then, and in some attempt at "excuse":
"If there's anything we can do, at least we might try to make some fun of it." (... "and, by laughing, perhaps prevent the swells of sorrow.")
Not really meaning to change the topic, now, but shifting on it:
I've seen, or heard of, or been of, some folks who've been concerned about the state of education -- not even just "in the nation" -- but, generally - "among, y'know, people."
I'll admit that I haven't done much about it; haven't been sure of what to do -- "picking fights" probably isn't the best place to start, on it; maybe I'm "selfish", for not even wanting to have to hassle about it -- as to raise questions, of whether trivial things are useful, and of whether coddling will really occasion an educated condition -- but, to nail the questions, right onto direct evidence of anything now in-practice ... and yet, to not seem 'picky' at it.
(So, "I guess I'll need more sparring rounds, before I'm ready to get into the ring, on it." .. so to speak.)
But, if there's any dullness and ignorance, perceivable within an indelible portion of a nation, and perceivable as it being not /reasonably expectable/, then I wonder if one might look to the schools ("to begin with").
("I suppose that it ain't quite a slight beginning to begin, either.)
("hearts and minds are formed in the classroom" ?)
I wonder if education has been recognized as it being a basis of 'national security', either.
(I haven't known where else to say any of "this", really. Incidentally, that is why I'm still glad for that ole thing called communication -- "take it or leave it, it's what we learn by")
Posted by: Sean Champ at September 27, 2004 12:58 PM