Millions of Americans have been spouting statements such as, 'Who cares about the Iraqis? We should just leave them to fend for themselves,' or, 'We should just cut our losses and leave right now.' Many are extremely anxious about the war and want to leave Iraq immediately, even if it means leaving it worse off than when we started.
Such an event would be catastrophic not only for the Iraqis, but to America and the entire Middle East. To leave Iraq now would be like leaving your 2-year-old son stranded in the forests of central Canada with only a compass to guide him. The chances of him surviving and finding his way back to you unharmed would be slim to none. If we leave Iraq now, we would be as negligent as that parent. We have given Iraq a guide to democracy, but Iraq still needs our help getting out of the woods and into prosperity. We started this war, and now we have to finish it. We have no other option.
It doesn't matter if you were for the war or against it, or if you love George W. Bush or hate him; the situation in Iraq is what it is, and we have to deal with it. We cannot go back in time and not invade Iraq. We are there, like it or not. The most irresponsible thing to do right now would be to pull the troops out of Iraq.
It only takes a small group of people to give the entire event a bad image, as Halloween on State Street proves. The insurgency in Iraq is not representative of the general population. If we dwell on the negative, we are missing the positive, and that is a tragedy because the positives that are occurring for the Iraqi citizens are life-altering.
Currently, Iraq is in tatters in terms of structural stability and security, due to the many rogue terrorists and insurgents. The Iraqi people need us now more than ever. Not to liberate them from tyranny, for that has already been done, but to instill and keep peace while the Iraqi government takes shape.
If we leave Iraq now, it would be considered a loss, and this would inspire hope in terrorists worldwide. Iraq would become a terrorist breeding ground worse than Afghanistan ever was, and complete and utter chaos would ensue. Terrorist recruiting would never be easier, as many Iraqis would be eager to join an anti-American campaign, as they would be confused and beleaguered by America's abandonment. We would basically give the impression that we blew up a country, invaded it and left millions of Iraqis in a war-torn state of destitution. We then decided to leave just as the Iraqis are turning the corner because millions of middle-class Americans living in their nice, suburban homes didn't want the war to continue. What right do we have to do that to a group of people?
America can withstand anything, and we are steady and reliable. Countries strive for what we have and they try to follow our lead. We are, in effect, a father figure to many countries who look to us for guidance. How can we, in good conscience, give up on the Iraqi people?
Leaving Iraq now is not going to thwart anti-American hatred, as the damage was done two years ago when we invaded. Leaving Iraq now would be a far worse crime than it was to invade Iraq in the first place, as we would leave millions of Iraqis in a desolate, third-world, war-torn country. Just as you can not judge a book as it is being written, you can not judge a country as it is taking shape. Iraq must be judged 50 years from now when the Iraqi government is fully established. It took the United States 200 years to become what it is today'??a society in which everyone has equal rights and opportunities, and where everyone feels safe and secure. It is completely preposterous to expect the Iraqis to be at that level now.
People that lived their entire lives under oppression now have the opportunity to create their own destiny. The Iraqi people have shown and continue to show that they are not intimidated by this daunting task, but they need our help making this transition. The power that was once in the hands of a tyrant is now in the hands of the people. To give up on them now would be an incredible injustice to not only the Iraqis, but to all of humanity. Fortunately, the American government and the Iraqi people understand this, and therefore realize that we are obligated to stay in Iraq until the job is done. Like it or not, the future of Iraq is in our hands.
