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Submitted by GWK (United States), Nov 21, 2007 at 21:47
Dr. Pipes -- Can I echo what you said?
"Mosul's dam replicates a myriad of lesser problems in Iraqi life that have landed in the lap of Americans (and, to a much lesser extent, their coalition partners), such as provisioning fuel and electricity, working schools and hospitals, a fair political and legal system, and an environment secure from terrorism.
Since April 2003, I have argued that this shouldering of responsibility for Iraq's domestic life has harmed both Americans and Iraqis. It yokes Americans with unwanted and unnecessary loss of life, financial obligations, and political burdens. For Iraqis, as the dam example suggests, it encourages an irresponsibility with potentially ruinous consequences.
A change of course is needed, and quickly. The Bush administration needs to hand back responsibility for Iraq's ills, including and especially the Mosul Dam. More broadly, it should abandon the deeply flawed and upside-down approach of "war as social work," whereby U.S. military efforts are judged primarily by the benefits they bring to the defeated enemy, rather than to Americans."
In 2002, some understood that Iraq was a side issue in the war against Al Qaida and UBL. Within DOD there were staunch supporters of expanding the war who would not be assuaged by these arguments or the arguments that UBL and Saddam were opposite poles of world threats. Unfortunately, 5 years later we are trying to fix Iraq on our own, an effort everyone hopes succeeds, but which seems to make little rational sense. Godspeed to all who endeavor to make it so.Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.
| Title | By | Date |
| ⇒ Exactly the truth! [255 words] | GWK | Nov 21, 2007 21:47 |
| ↔ 15 meters? [46 words] | downstream | Nov 27, 2007 10:23 |
| Dam problem [145 words] | always right | Nov 13, 2007 17:37 |
| Must Leave Iraq [104 words] | Michael | Nov 13, 2007 16:40 |
| Saddam's Damn Dam [262 words] | Kim Segar | Nov 13, 2007 14:07 |
| Dang It! [331 words] | shayna | Nov 12, 2007 15:44 |
| Teach the Iraqis how to sue the "German-Italian, Saudi funded Consortium" that built it? [134 words] | RPaine | Nov 11, 2007 13:28 |
| Time to go [126 words] | Yuval Brandstetter MD | Nov 10, 2007 15:33 |
| ↔ Prophetic Implications in the Shadow of the Dam [945 words] | M. Tovey | Nov 13, 2007 12:21 |
| Preempt the conspiracy risk [329 words] | Lee M. | Nov 9, 2007 23:03 |
| Noah's Ark? [53 words] | Vince M | Nov 9, 2007 13:54 |
| enough [152 words] | chuck byard | Nov 9, 2007 11:50 |
| ↔ Not only, but also [30 words] | Mark | Nov 12, 2007 17:33 |
| "Social Work" [127 words] | M. Bouffant | Nov 9, 2007 03:08 |
| ↔ Resulte of American Presence [173 words] | E. N. Mayfield, Jr. | Nov 10, 2007 03:42 |
| ↔ Thou art so wrong [154 words] | Yuval Brandstetter MD | Nov 11, 2007 16:29 |
| Colin Powell [31 words] | Steve J. | Nov 9, 2007 02:49 |
| ↔ Pottery Barn rule [41 words] | Bill Templeton | Nov 9, 2007 16:24 |
| ↔ What?? [144 words] | donvan | Nov 16, 2007 09:07 |
| Damn Dam [41 words] | E. N. Mayfield, Jr. | Nov 9, 2007 02:30 |
| Geology Exemplified at Its Worst [126 words] | Christopher J. Schuberth | Nov 8, 2007 22:23 |
| Our New Embassy [24 words] | Kathy | Nov 8, 2007 21:42 |
| Damn Dam that Damn Saddam [233 words] | Seamus MacNemi | Nov 8, 2007 19:43 |
| Consequences if One Does, or One Does Not [255 words] | M. Tovey | Nov 8, 2007 17:16 |
| The Germans built it - let them fix it [13 words] | Hbowman | Nov 8, 2007 16:46 |
| Purpose of War [25 words] | Mike Levine | Nov 8, 2007 16:31 |
| ↔ True... [114 words] | donvan | Nov 9, 2007 10:35 |
| Empty the reservoir! [37 words] | Ron Kilmartin | Nov 8, 2007 15:01 |
| ↔ Another example .... [105 words] | donvan | Nov 8, 2007 16:33 |
| surging success? [117 words] | G.Vishvas | Nov 8, 2007 11:50 |
| caught in the Iraqi-occupation dilemma? [169 words] | Charles Martel | Nov 8, 2007 10:45 |
| Saddam's sad folly [247 words] | Rebecca Moulds | Nov 8, 2007 08:54 |
| but why is the US there? [63 words] | roslyn esther | Nov 8, 2007 08:53 |
| what's in a name? [449 words] | Drew | Nov 8, 2007 08:46 |
| ↔ Did Somebody Call A Prophet From G-D? [128 words] | Seamus MacNemi | Nov 8, 2007 20:14 |
| ↔ Amalekites, Saddam Hussien, and King Saul [730 words] | jennifer solis | Nov 9, 2007 15:25 |
| ↔ But what was the commandment? [277 words] | Drew | Nov 15, 2007 10:19 |
| ↔ Salvation is the Almighty's Gift [132 words] | jennifer solis | Nov 16, 2007 13:56 |
| Saddam's Dam [171 words] | J. Gutknecht | Nov 8, 2007 08:45 |
| Saddam's Damn Dam - handing over responsiblilty to avoid blame - impossible [143 words] | DW Tony Patterson | Nov 8, 2007 07:48 |
| Do what we must.... [194 words] | Ron Rotem | Nov 8, 2007 07:46 |
| Seeing clearly [81 words] | Mary Connor | Nov 8, 2007 06:44 |
| Dam Saddam's Dam? [99 words] | Ian Campbell | Nov 8, 2007 06:07 |
| Since a decade Iran and Iraq were eachothers #1 enemy! And now they are best friends? [194 words] | zari namdar | Nov 8, 2007 05:04 |
| Who built it [66 words] | David W. Lincoln | Nov 7, 2007 23:19 |
| When The Levee Breaks Have No Place To Run [139 words] | Richard B. | Nov 7, 2007 22:52 |
| Saddam's Dam [154 words] | Donald W. Bales | Nov 7, 2007 21:20 |