Business Standard / New Delhi Sep 06, 2010, 00:44 IST
Now that US President Barack Obama has withdrawn American combat troops from Iraq, it is the right time to learn some lessons from this haunting and protracted global trauma.
Instability: Iraq stands destabilised and torn by sectarian strife. The local police and security forces are ill-equipped to enforce law and order due to divisions among themselves, lack of training and experience. American troops may have marched out, but it will take many years for Iraq to stabilise, politically and economically.
High cost: The Iraq war has been horrendously painful in terms of human loss. It is estimated to have cost 100,000 to 150,000 Iraqi lives and 4,400 allied troop lives. The war has cost the US $2-3 trillion. There is another cost: the trauma of an entire generation of Iraqi children witnessing inordinate levels of violence, death, guns, bombs, bullets. Over 1.5 million Iraqis continue to live as refugees.
Poor intelligence: No weapons of mass destruction could be found in seven years, the raison d’être for this war. The best of the intelligence agencies in the world could not ferret out the truth.
Armed embroilments: In his speech, President Obama proclaimed, “Because of the drawdown in Iraq, we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense (in Afghanistan).” This will be another mistake. Like the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan will also get stretched.
Leaders’ responsibility: Global leaders should realise that wars are not won by armies alone. Nations and the people are to be won over by ideas and integrity. Discussions and negotiations are key to resolving these flashpoints.
Management failure: The war with the regular army of Iraq lasted barely two months. The problem started when victory was declared after the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Tony Blair, UK’s former prime minister, candidly admitted in his recently released memoirs, “I could also see we were in danger of having won the war, then losing the peace.” Managing a country requires rigorous knowledge of ground realities, systems and processes. And managing a hostile country that is facing a civil war is a Herculean task.
To summarise, all wars are wretched and must be avoided. It is a mistake to think that there was a “bad war” in Iraq, and the “good war” is in Afghanistan. All wars reflect the failure of leaders to resolve issues through debate and discussion. Our leaders must comprehend this lucidly.
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