The War on Error

I managed to find an interesting article that seems to both support and oppose the Iraqi effort. The article is titled, The War on Error, and it was published a few weeks ago. The article itself is based on Charles Ferguson’s documentary of the Iraq war made in 2007 called “No End in Sight”, which focused on the question of “Is the current debacle the result not of the decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein but of the inept policies that followed?”

The documentary is pretty much a collection of many interviews with people who went to Iraq to build a sufficient postwar society. Iraqis were also interviewed to provide for a consensus view of the US’ effort to “liberate” Iraq from terror.

The article talks about one of the people who were interviewed concerning the United States’ preparation for Iraqi occupation…

“Here is A. Heather Coyne, who spent 15 months in Iraq as a civil affairs officer with the Army. Coyne, who knew Arabic, went to Iraq “on a high because we really believed in what we were doing.” Then she watched as everything went wrong. When she wanted to print up documents to promote a street-cleaning program, she was told: “That’s a great idea. But we don’t have any ability to print certificates” — which summed up for her all the failures of the American effort. “I still believe that this could have worked,” she says. “If you’d really had the capability, and the materials, and the relationships, and the expertise, and the trained staff, and the equipment, and everything else you needed.”

The article then goes on to explain why the US can’t just withdraw. Even after all the mistakes the US has made since invading Iraq, like disbanding the Iraqi army, it must help Iraq once again become a self governing body. US withdrawal might result in civil war, according to most people Ferguson talked to.

“A bloody civil war, several experts observe, probably would not be limited to Iraq. Neighboring countries would almost inevitably be drawn in, and the entire region could be engulfed in chaos. Iran would support the Shiites, while Saudi Arabia, Jordan and possibly Egypt would back the Sunnis. Turkey, meanwhile, might become more deeply enmeshed in Iraq’s Kurdish areas.”

Personally, I am now apathetic to the conflict. I was strongly opposed to the war, but after some logical thinking, a new world war is the last I want in our future.

By BARRY GEWEN

Published: March 30, 2008