Sometimes the only wrong action is no action.
This morning's front page, right next to the news that the Beavs held off the Ducks in the final seconds of this year's "Civil War", bore a chilling headline recounting the horrifying murder of a dozen people in Iraq who were set afire with kerosene. Discussion continues as to whether Iraq is immersed in or slipping into a civil war. Over a million Iraqis have left their homes and fled to areas where people of their own stripe of Islam are dominant or have left the country entirely. The grim kidnap and murder of individuals by people of both stripes continues in a selection process that is clearly aimed at 'cleansing' the integrated areas of Iraq into religiously pure sectors. The government, when not implicated, is ineffectual. Burning people to death reflects a steely determination which transforms the fire setter as well; opponents are no longer human. And here in the States we debate....or at least our leaders debate while we enjoy our Thanksgiving dinners and our civilized 'civil wars'.
I am angry this morning. I have always thought that this war was wrong--morally and strategically. I am not happy to be right about this because it's not about me, it's about the consequences we see taking place today. I am angry this morning because I think we are equally on the verge of making wrong decisions that will compound the chaos and evils that have been unleashed. While I believe the invasion of Iraq and the steps taken since were wrong, I am not convinced that the majority trumpeting to pull our troops out of Iraq is the right solution either. I am angry this morning because I believe that we may not have a right solution at this point. We may have hacked our way deeply enough into the blackberrries that we can't get out without a thousand tears and scratches. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the invasive Himalayan blackberry creates dense thickets of arching canes much like the spiky brambles surrounding Sleeping Beauty's castle in the fairytale. No single thorn is a particular problem, but the unwary harvester in August can easily find that they've leaned deeply enough into the thicket to get that next cluster of wonderful, tasty fruit that they are suddenly attached to a dozens of the thorns and that they will tear clothing or flesh anyway they turn.
I think it is probably true that disengaging our forces from Bagdad where the opposing forces are most fiercely engaged will signal an escalation into a full-fledged battle to create sectors which are pure and around which lines can be drawn. Such a battle will not end quickly nor without innocent blood being shed. I think it is probably true that Iran and Syria will jockey for position with Iraq's leadership through their agents within the communities, and that our ability to mobilize them to settle the violence is limited by our public policies and statements about them. I think it is probably true that Iraq as a nation may not be viable at this point, but I can't tell whether this is a good or bad outcome. I am convinced that in nations across North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, people who have a dog in this hunt are watching and are increasingly convinced that we can't stop them and that we are the enemy. These aren't good things to think. Chad, Somalia, Indonesia, Lebanon...how many pins on the map now mark places where the volume of unrest has been turned up?
At the end of my reflection, though, I realize that I am most angry because I feel as if I have no way to add weight to the outcomes or the course of this poisonous eruption on the face of the planet.
I am angry this morning. I have always thought that this war was wrong--morally and strategically. I am not happy to be right about this because it's not about me, it's about the consequences we see taking place today. I am angry this morning because I think we are equally on the verge of making wrong decisions that will compound the chaos and evils that have been unleashed. While I believe the invasion of Iraq and the steps taken since were wrong, I am not convinced that the majority trumpeting to pull our troops out of Iraq is the right solution either. I am angry this morning because I believe that we may not have a right solution at this point. We may have hacked our way deeply enough into the blackberrries that we can't get out without a thousand tears and scratches. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the invasive Himalayan blackberry creates dense thickets of arching canes much like the spiky brambles surrounding Sleeping Beauty's castle in the fairytale. No single thorn is a particular problem, but the unwary harvester in August can easily find that they've leaned deeply enough into the thicket to get that next cluster of wonderful, tasty fruit that they are suddenly attached to a dozens of the thorns and that they will tear clothing or flesh anyway they turn.
I think it is probably true that disengaging our forces from Bagdad where the opposing forces are most fiercely engaged will signal an escalation into a full-fledged battle to create sectors which are pure and around which lines can be drawn. Such a battle will not end quickly nor without innocent blood being shed. I think it is probably true that Iran and Syria will jockey for position with Iraq's leadership through their agents within the communities, and that our ability to mobilize them to settle the violence is limited by our public policies and statements about them. I think it is probably true that Iraq as a nation may not be viable at this point, but I can't tell whether this is a good or bad outcome. I am convinced that in nations across North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, people who have a dog in this hunt are watching and are increasingly convinced that we can't stop them and that we are the enemy. These aren't good things to think. Chad, Somalia, Indonesia, Lebanon...how many pins on the map now mark places where the volume of unrest has been turned up?
At the end of my reflection, though, I realize that I am most angry because I feel as if I have no way to add weight to the outcomes or the course of this poisonous eruption on the face of the planet.
Comments
-K