US cannot afford to give up fixing Iraq!
Reader comment on item: Let Iraqis run Iraq

Submitted by Philip Baltzer (United States), Oct 17, 2003 at 14:07

You wrote:

"From this pattern, I draw a rule of thumb: unless a non-Muslim ruler has compelling reasons to control a Muslim population, it will eventually be worn down by the violence directed against it and give up. Note that the US government has already given up twice in recent years, in Lebanon and Somalia."

It is at least partially because we gave up in Lebanon and Somalia that we were attached on 9/11 -- we had been judged to be too weak to really fight back.

Also you wrote:

"The US-led effort to fix Iraq is not important enough for Americans, Britons, or other non-Muslim partners to stick it out. That is why I advocate handing substantial power over to the Iraqis, and doing so the sooner the better.""

The US-led effort to fix Iraq is important enough for Americans, Britons and others. It is absolutely the ONLY path to success against terrorism. Americans and Brits must be educated further to enable them to understand this.

Also, otherwise our soldiers will have fought and died in vain! We have to learn how it is necessary to fight this fight to the very end of time.

Do you really feel that we must give in? Or is this a test of your readership?

Phil Baltzer

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