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Originally Posted by MikeWaters
both parties are guilty. Look at how Republicans behaved with Kosovo? I think it would be hard to reconcile their positions then with what they are saying about Iraq.
Look at Clinton before he was elected, and what he said about China. Then look at what he did while in office.
I certainly hope the next President will impose a swift draw down in Iraq (if it hasn't already happened).
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I am afraid the next president will remove troops from Iraq. I have never been in favor of the war. I always thought it was more about oil interests than anything else. Paul Wolfowitz has said as much on multiple occasions, claiming that while we thought they had weapons of mass destruction, the weapons were the legal justification for the invasion rather than the purpose of the invasion.
Be that as it may, now that we are there, I cannot think failure is an option. If we withdraw, Iraq will fall into civil war quickly, destabilizing the entire region. Such a conflict would only deepen the resentment felt towards the US and Israel, and would destroy everything we have attempted to do to improve our security situation.
We must succeed in Iraq. And to do so, we must learn that winning in Iraq cannot be accomplished solely with military might. The military can keep order, but it can't change minds (at least very quickly). I would suggest the following:
Block the media signals from all hostile media sources (such as Al Jazeera). There is no reason at all Iraqis need to see what Al Jazeera is broadcasting. Most of it is fiction and it is making peace in Iraq more difficult. Replace that content with pro-American news programs or documentaries on the horrific acts of terrorists against Muslims, the brave actions of Americans in protecting Iraqis, updates on attempts to rebuild infrastructure, etc. If you don't think this will work, just ask yourself if Fox News has had an impact on American politics. Like it or not, people generally believe what they see on tv. If they see negative things, they are more prone to have a negative opinion. If they see positive things, they are more prone to be optimistic. We need optimism in Iraq.
I would also work more to involve the clerics. Highlight certain clerics on the media who are helping out the move for peace and stability. That will increase their power amongst the people, and will prompt other clerics to follow suit to gain positive media exposure.
It won't work unless we have the troops there to maintain order though.