Saturday, October 02, 2004
Random Political Thoughts Part 1
The US has a responsibility to re-built Iraq.
It doesn't matter how you feel about the war, or Kerry, or Bush, anything else. The citizens of Iraq have the right to a long term political and social stablility.
The US has re-built a lot of countries. Sometimes it works nicely (i.e. West Germany) and sometimes it doesn't (i.e. Cuba).
Did Germany work out because we poured money into the country (over $17 billion). Did Germany work out because we kept US troops there long after the war? Did Germany work out because the Germany people were tired of 20 years of crappy governments? Did Germany work out because we realized that World War II was the result of the half-assed job we did reconstructing Germany after World War I?
I am so sick of the Kerry's "a plan to win the peace" soundbite. But it seems to me that a "plan to win the peace" is going to mean a long long long long term comittment to Iraq. There is no easy withdrawal plan - and doing it wrong will undoubtedly lead to bigger probelms later. (Part of the reason we're in Iraq *now* is due to the fact that we didn't establish a stable government in 1991).
How do you turn it into a long-term-Germany-style-comittment and not a long term Vietnamn-style-mess? I don't have the coveted "Plan for Peace" and no answers - - just thoughts & questions. Mostly I'm thinking out loud . . . everyone else is doing political blogging so i can too!
The US has a responsibility to re-built Iraq.
It doesn't matter how you feel about the war, or Kerry, or Bush, anything else. The citizens of Iraq have the right to a long term political and social stablility.
The US has re-built a lot of countries. Sometimes it works nicely (i.e. West Germany) and sometimes it doesn't (i.e. Cuba).
Did Germany work out because we poured money into the country (over $17 billion). Did Germany work out because we kept US troops there long after the war? Did Germany work out because the Germany people were tired of 20 years of crappy governments? Did Germany work out because we realized that World War II was the result of the half-assed job we did reconstructing Germany after World War I?
I am so sick of the Kerry's "a plan to win the peace" soundbite. But it seems to me that a "plan to win the peace" is going to mean a long long long long term comittment to Iraq. There is no easy withdrawal plan - and doing it wrong will undoubtedly lead to bigger probelms later. (Part of the reason we're in Iraq *now* is due to the fact that we didn't establish a stable government in 1991).
How do you turn it into a long-term-Germany-style-comittment and not a long term Vietnamn-style-mess? I don't have the coveted "Plan for Peace" and no answers - - just thoughts & questions. Mostly I'm thinking out loud . . . everyone else is doing political blogging so i can too!