Saving Iraq and Preserving America: What can be Done?

By most accounts, Iraq is a mess. Every thirty days, about 3,000 Iraqi citizens and 100 U.S. soldiers are killed. We’re spending about $8 billion per month there, having spent approximately $400 billion so far.

Violence is increasing in both scope and complexity. The primary causes of violence are the Sunni Arab insurgency, Shiite militias, al Qaeda, and organized crime.

Violence between the Sunni and Shiite sects is the primary cause of civilian deaths. One group will strike another, sparking large-scale reprisals. Large groups of Iraqis have been found bound, executed, and dumped in fields or rivers. Others are kidnapped - in broad daylight within minutes of the Iraqi police and our soldiers. This violence goes unchecked, emboldening armed groups referred to only as "militias" because no one knows who they are.

Because of the violence, Iraq is experiencing a rapid exodus of its best and brightest - a brain drain - that hurts its current and future economic prospects.

Economically, Iraq is hobbling along with wounds of corruption, insecurity, and a severe lack of electricity, communications, and transportation -- infrastructure.

However, its long term economic prospects could be good with its plentiful natural resources (oil, water, and fertile soil), and new businesses opening in more secure areas.

But how can economic growth occur among extreme violence and a feeble government? How can the U.S. help itself and help Iraq?

Attempting a solution - The Iraq Study Group

A bipartisan group commissioned by our representatives in Congress took to analyzing the situation in March 2006. This group, called the Iraq Study Group, published its report in December 2006 with 79 recommendations for improving the situation in Iraq.

The report shifts from military solutions as it addresses four popular solutions that have been bounced around by the press and politicians alike: Stay the course; withdraw; add more troops; and divide the region into thirds, assigning an ethnic group to each.

Facts and tradeoffs - Popular solutions

• Stay the course

For a long time, the Bush administration had resolved to "stay the course" in Iraq, but they now plan to release a new strategy in January.

Now, all parties agree that something must change and, like the Iraq Study Group, believe that the current expense and number of casualties is not sustainable.

• Withdraw

The Iraq Study Group argues that a troop withdrawal from Iraq would result in more violence, which could destabilize the region and hurt the trade critical to our global oil economy. Some say that the west cannot exist without the oil and fear the long-term consequences of withdrawal. A big contradiction seems to be that if the west were about to lose the oil of the middle east, we would return militarily - while acknowledging that we can’t change the cultures of other countries and societies with armies.

• Add troups

The Iraq Study Group explains that more troops would not heal the rift between Sunni and Shiite, the main reason for violence in Iraq. While adding troops may stabilize a local area, violence would erupt elsewhere. Further, the U.S. military is stretched among Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, and other areas and we simply don’t have the personnel and equipment to do the job.

• Three regions

Some have said that dividing Iraq into three "regions" -- one for Shiites, one for Sunnis, and one for Kurds - would help matters. However, all of Iraq’s 18 provinces and most of its major cities have mixed populations, so drawing lines through the country would be difficult and could cause large population movements and border disputes. Senator Joseph Biden (D - Delaware) has for many years recommended a united Iraq nation with three regional organizations within it - a federal system.

Iraq Study Group recommendations

The group’s recommendations fall into two main categories: international support through negotiations (diplomacy) and a new role for the U.S. military.

International support

The Iraq Study Group suggests that the U.S. work with the surrounding Middle Eastern countries towards stability in Iraq. Through negotiations, they argue, the U.S. can encourage Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria to support peace and progress.

The group hopes that Iran, for example, could use its influence over Shia groups to encourage national reconciliation in Iraq. Peace among factions is in everyone’s best interest.

However, it may not be so easy to negotiate with Iran. Why would they want to help us? The U.S. supported Sadaam Hussein and Iraq in the long and painful Iran/Iraq war, so Iran is still suspicious of America. Some critics say that the Study Group is suggesting negotiation tactics like the ones we used with the Soviet Union to prevent nuclear attacks (the Cold War), not today’s terrorist warfare where there is no government and nation with whom to negotiate.

Although he agrees with the report, Democratic Senator Joseph Biden has argued that there should be more emphasis on fairly distributing oil reserves and profits among Iraqis.

Governing well and fairly distributing the profits from oil are not efforts that the United States can make happen. The Iraqi elected government must take those responsibilities - if it can. Senator Carl Levin (D- Michigan) incoming Chairman of the Armed Services Committee highlights the need for the Iraqi government to take command of their own country. He is among those who believe that only when we actually begin to withdraw our troops will they take responsibility.

New role for the U.S. military: non-military responsibility

The Iraq Study Group report is modest in its expectations. "Miracles cannot be expected," it says, "but the people of Iraq have the right to expect action and progress."

The Iraq Study Group would like to see the military reduce its combat role and increase its participation in communications, transportation, and organization building.

The report recommends that the U.S. work with Iraq’s leaders to set specific goals on security, governance, and economic progress. The group suggests working closely with Iraqi leadership and security forces. Republican Senator John McCain says that this recommendation is nothing new, and despite efforts to train Iraqi security forces, there has been little improvement.

It is not clear from any reports to date exactly which Americans have the expertise to carry out these changes in Iraq.

Are ordinary fighting forces expected to build roads, train police, and create telephone and computer systems? Or are we going to remove our fighting troops and bring in private contractors to tutor the Iraqis in governing and private enterprise.

Would more fighting troops stop the Iraqis from killing each other? Is our military presence giving them an excuse for not taking charge of their situation?

With over 70 percent of young people unemployed, what can and should the Iraq government do to encourage its young men to work instead of join private armed militias?

If there is no military solution, what can the United States do to reduce the chaos in a major oil producing part of the planet. A group of military experts has asked the U.S. government to make changing our society from its dependence on oil as a military decision, not just as an environmental one.

What do you think?

Two of WomenMatter’s Life Issues are Security and Environment. They are intertwined. What do you think needs to happen in Iraq? What should the U.S. role be?

Dish to other WomenMatter readers on our blog. To get connected directly with your representatives, click here.

About WomenMatter

WomenMatter is a place to discuss life issues with other women. We don’t want to wedge women apart, but rather bring them together to dialogue. To participate in our blog, click here.

WomenMatter is the place where we can take one issue at a time, match what we do about it every day of our lives to the facts of the bigger system that we all live in and recognize that every idea for making it better has tradeoffs.

WomenMatter is dedicated to empowering women to participate in the political process. To do this we have invested in the most in-depth NONPARTISAN information, because we trust each woman to make up her own mind.

• We track nine issues every week and update this website several times a week.
• We launch after school GirlsMatter Clubs in middle and high schools to grow the next generation of politically aware women through a full curriculum and startup kit on girlsmatter.com.
• We do continuous research to make sure that we are meeting the needs of women across the country of all ages, races, incomes, preferences, and religions.