Climbing out of our pit in Iraq

I recently spent some time traveling outside the United States. I discovered that when people found out that I was an American, the conversation often turned to Iraq.

Many of the people I spoke with felt that things would not be as bad as they are today if the U.S. had pulled out after capturing Saddam Hussein. No one who spoke with me felt that the U.S. presence in Iraq today is justified. That didn't necessarily mean that everyone wanted the U.S. to withdraw immediately. In most cases, it meant they wanted the U.S. to define a clear and responsible exit point and move toward that point as quickly as possible.

I have explained my own views elsewhere in this blog. I think President Bushed made the wrong decision in March 2003. He should have postponed military action at least another year.

Having gone to war when he did, I think the President compounded his error by putting too much faith in the power of military force to solve problems.

In a press conference held March 6, 2003, President Bush said:

I'm convinced that a liberated Iraq will be -- will be important for that troubled part of the world. The Iraqi people are plenty capable of governing themselves. Iraq is a sophisticated society. Iraq's got money. Iraq will provide a place where people can see that the Shia and the Sunni and the Kurds can get along in a federation. Iraq will serve as a catalyst for change, positive change.

In hindsight, this statement shows that President Bush is a person of Utopian ideals. But history has shown again and again that the pursuit of Utopia without acknowledging existing realities leads to tragedy. That in large part explains what has happened in Iraq during the past four years. President Bush thought that removing Saddam Hussein would be like blowing up a log jam in a river, and that the dictator's removal would let Iraq move quickly toward its natural destiny as a liberal democracy.

George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld looked at Saddam's Iraq and saw Hitler's Germany. A liberated Germany was important for a troubled post-war Europe. It was capable of governing itself. It was a sophisticated society with money. It showed that its people could get along in a federation, and it served as a catalyst for positive change. Like a Hollywood director filming the umpteen hundredth reenactment of World War II, the U.S. administration thought it could apply the script from the U.S. victory in World War II to Iraq. They were wrong.

There's nothing wrong with having Utopian ideals for the world. In fact, I share the President's ideals. I, too, believe that Iraq, along with all other societies, is eventually destined to become a place where people can live in peace with each other, despite differences of ethnicity and religion. I also believe that the United States has a unique role to play in bringing progress toward that goal.

But there is a pitfall in putting too much faith in the ability of military force to solve problems, and today we find ourselves at the bottom of this pit.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the "surge" strategy is working. Let's hope he is being straight with us about his assessment, and that his assessment is correct. Let's hope that this will lead to an exit point before another year goes by.

Even after withdrawing its troops from Iraq, the United States will need to continue to be engaged with that country and its region. Let's hope, though, that this engagement will be carried out with greater wisdom and sophistication.