It is disconcerting to communicate with someone who hides behind a nom de plume like Goenkarboy. However, here goes:
GKB has done a pretty good job of presenting his case, and, in the final analysis, we may have to agree to disagree since he is entitled to his opinions, as I am entitled to mine. GKB writes: Iraq did not pose a threat to it's immediate neighbours, nor to the United States or the international community at large. Faulty Intelligence provided by Western Intelligence agencies resulted in Bush making a poor decision to go to war. No matter where your political leanings fall on the political spectrum, most people will agree that all avenues of diplomacy should be exhausted before a state decides that war is the only option on the table. Mario's response: The comments above lack the the following context and perspectives, with all due respect, a) the known links between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein as detailed in the 9/11 Commission report, b) the escalating attacks on the US by al Qaeda throughout the 90s without any response by Bill Clinton's appeasement-oriented foreign policy, culminating in the attack on the US by al Qaeda on 9/11, albeit without any assistance from Iraq, and c) the failure by Saddam Hussein to account for his WMDs, even under threat of losing his life and dictatorship, which led to the presumption that he was unable to because he was hiding them. The 17 UN resolutions from 1991 to 2003 on this subject called for Iraq to provide the evidence that they no longer had WMDs, not for the UN inspectors to look for and find them. Twelve years had come and gone while Saddam had done nothing but give the inspectors the run-around, and there was no end in sight. The Duelfer report showed that there was pressure from France, China and Russia, whom we now know Saddam had bribed through the oil-food-program, to end the sanctions, whereupon Saddam had every intention of re-constituting his WMD program. Thus all avenues of diplomacy had been effectively used over a 12 year period, and some badly corrupted and compromised. President Bush, after 9/11 was not prepared to take the risk that Iraq's WMDS would fall into the hands of al Qaeda, which will use any weapon it can against the US, as their suicide philosophy has proven. Regarding being a threat against its neighbors, Iraq had already pre-emptively attacked Iran and Kuwait, as well as Israel in 1991 with scuds. Saddam was paying bounties to the families of suicide bombers in Israel. With a reconstituted WMD program they could be a threat again as long as Saddam was in power. And, Udai and Qusai were crazier than he is. GKB writes: So where do we stand at this moment in time? GKB then goes on to accurately describe the conflict and casualties, but describes only the mayhem that is concentrated in 4 out of Iraq's 18 provinces. The insurgency is being sustained by the same minority of Sunni Baathists who dominated the majority Shia and Kurds for 35 years through mind-boggling brutality, and have the most to lose from a free and democratic Iraq. What is the alternative they offer? GKB's perspective is understandable here because what he says is all that is being reported by the mainstream media, which spend 100% of their coverage on the conflict and zero on the 14 Iraqi provinces where huge reconstruction projects are taking place. A better glimpse of what is going on inside Iraq may be seen in the words of Iraqis who live in Iraq, through their web logs like www.IraqTheModel.com 80% of the Iraqi population are eagerly looking forward to the coming elections, there are Sunnis included in almost every slate of candidates, so they are not being overlooked. Grand-Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has issued a fatwa ordering the Shia to participate fully in the elections. All the while the minority insurgents are targeting and killing their fellow-Muslims in an attempt to turn back the clock and deny the majority the freedom and democracy that they can actually see and feel and smell. GKB writes As an occupying power, the United States is currently responsible for Iraq and its 25 million people. Mario replies: It's really 50 million if you include Afghanistan. The US has a lot of experience in taking such responsibility, for much larger populations, and does so willingly, dealing with it in a positive manner resulting in a win-win situation in the longer run. Japan, Germany, Italy, N. Korea, Kosovo, Eastern Europe have been either rebuilt in the past or are currently being rebuilt with US aid and at US taxpayer expense. Billions are being spent to help Africans fight AIDS. Billions will be spent helping tsunami victims in Asia. Others can provide money, only the US and a few others can put the money to actual use for the victims. Ask the Japanese, Germans Italians and N. Koreans. They know. Ask the Indonesians in Banda Aceh, not their leaders in the relative safety of Jakarta. The battle group assisting the Indonesians and Sri Lankans was diverted while on their way to Iraq, showing the US has its priorities in proper order. This may be difficult for GKB and others to understand, but young Americans do not take their freedom and democracy for granted. This is not the 60s baby boomer, Vietnam era, "ME" generation. They are still volunteering to risk their lives to give the Afghans and Iraqis the opportunity to experience freedom and democracy. Just this week I met a young 20-year-old Marine, son of a friend, home for a 2 week vacation from Iraq. His biggest disappointment was not seeing in the media anything about the reconstruction going on in Iraq. He was eager to get back to his unit before the Iraqi elections. Said he wouldn't miss this for anything. Said we have no idea how most Iraqis are looking forward to this historic election. Said he cries when Iraqis hug him and thank him for risking his life. He's 20 years old. He's eager to go back and face death again, for other people. Thinks it's worth it. He's only 20 years old. There are tens of thousands more like him. I know an Iraqi man who fled Iraq. He had had his wife and daughter raped in front of him, friends and relatives shot and thrown into those mass graves we only hear about, one's tongue cut out because someone told the Mujahadeen that he had made fun of Saddam. He has scars from the beatings he suffered. And you wonder where my passion come from? Finally, GKB writes: This portion of history will invariably impact future foreign policy decisions, especially when it involves the decision by a nation-state to take "pre-emptive action". Mario replies: With the ability and the intentions of terrorist groups who bear no national responsibility, to get access to and use WMDs, it would be irresponsible for any national leader to risk a first strike when there is a credible threat. Imagine if they had biological or chemical weapons on board those planes on 9/11. Halabja showed us what these can do. 5,000 in a single strike. God willing the US continues to elect leaders who have the moral strength to do it again, on our behalf or on behalf of others, even if no other country does. Last week US Secy. of State Colin Powell called the US the world's firefighters. He was right. Like the Indonesians are proving once again, you may hate us, but your people are glad we're there.
