Some Reflections on the Iraq War

I still hear lots of people saying that the Iraq War was stupid, not necessary and not related to Islamic fundamentalism. They also contend that President Bush was wrong to involve us in that war.

The problem with the people who say this is that not only do they continue to ignore the multiple reasons for the incursion that have been discussed ad infinitum (belief Saddam had WMD, violations of the terms of Desert Storm, attempt to assassinate Bush 41, multiple violations of UN edicts, the oil-for food scandal, etc., etc.), but also that these critics have much too short a time span.

For those who know history and are somewhat aware of world and national events, it is well established that we are at war with thousands and thousands of Islamic fundamentalists who wish to destroy us and to establish an Islamic caliphate which will rule the world and impose the Sharia on the rest of us. These terrorists exist and are supported by millions of Muslims who are peaceful, but live in a seventh century world of ignorance, superstition and barbarism. These Muslims and the terrorists among them exist largely in Arab countries that are all ruled by despots who desperately want to keep their people in their present state forever. Only through the development of democratic institutions and modern technology can the present situation in these Arab countries ever change for the better.

If things do not change, we will continue in this war forever – or until some of these crazies acquire and use nuclear weapons to kill us and bring us down. We all look with dismay at the barbaric exhibitions seen daily in the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and in other Arab countries. Does anyone think these madmen would hesitate a moment to use such weapons?

As it is, it will probably take us 100 years to change these dynamics; and nothing would have changed until and unless a major country in the middle of the Arab world became a democratic country with modern technology – acting as an example and as a beacon to the rest of the Arab world. To win this war we must achieve three goals: 1. find and kill the terrorists before they kill us, 2. encourage the development of modernization in the Arab world, and, 3. use any and all means to stop the further spread of nuclear weapons technology.

Citizens of the United States and the west in general owe a huge debt of gratitude to former President George Bush for his perception of the 3-part strategy needed to keep us safe and win this war, and for plopping a democratic state, Iraq, which is rapidly modernizing, right in the middle of the Arab world. He did this despite the ferocious opposition of the leftists and know-nothings of this world who cannot see the consequences of anything. At least now we have a chance to turn the tide as the rest of the Arab world follows Iraq’s lead, modernizes, and turns against the fundamentalists. We can already see this happening in countries like Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan.

If the Arab world does not modernize and rise out of their barbarism and ignorance, we are doomed no matter how many terrorists we kill.