Most leaders in the Middle East believe the United States-led invasion of Iraq and its consequences have been catastrophic for the region, Secretary General Kofi Annan said Wednesday.
Honestly, most of the leaders I spoke to felt that the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath has been a real disaster for them, Mr. Annan said. They believe it has destabilized the region.
I am not surprised. Authoritarian regimes upset that a free democracy has been set up right in their neighborhood, what a shock. I guess an Iraq that was under the fist of a brutal dictator, Saddam, who attacked his neighboring countries and gassed his own people was not considered a disaster to these guys. In fact, destabilizing the dictatorships in a moribund region by introducing democracy was one of the main reasons for the Iraqi invasion.
He said the officials he met were of two minds about whether the Americans should leave Iraq. Many leaders felt the Americans should stay until the situation improves and that, having created the problem, they cannot walk away, he said.
Then, you have another school of thought, particularly in Iran, that believes that the presence of the U.S. is a problem and that the U.S. should leave, he said. He added that the Iranians had offered to help the Americans leave, but, asked to elaborate, said, I didn't get into details as to how they intend to help.
At least some of them are smart enough to realize that if America leaves before the new elected Iraqi government can secure it's own country, a civil war could erupt. The American military is necessary to try and keep the peace between the different Iraqi groups as they learn how to share power in a non-violent way. The necessary removal of Saddam released a lot of pent up anger in Iraq that needs to vent in a controlled environment.
No comments:
Post a Comment