Have to take the bad with the good
Reader comment on item: Limping away from a Shattered Iraq

Submitted by David S. (United States), Jul 15, 2009 at 02:15

Thank you for a well-written column, but I have to "keep hope alive" that things won't turn out as badly as Dr. Pipes predicts. One major factor has indeed changed - the US president. Whereas Bush, with his legacy on the line, would not let Iraq fail, Obama does not have that kind of loyalty to the endeavor. He'd probably just as soon it did end, win or lose.

True, the Iraqi government is flawed but all governments are flawed, especially when they are this young. I think the US and other countries that care about the Middle East ought to support the Iraqi government as much as possible. If they support it and welcome it into the community of nations, it has a better chance of success. But if they isolate it, sure, it has a better chance of failing. Corruption needs to be rooted out, but then the same could be said of the US govt. And maybe the US departure will actually help at least reduce the volume of corruption; I hate to think about the billions and billions of dollars that have gone into corrupt hands since 2003 there.

Iran's influence and bullying in Iraq are major concerns - but again, they should be concerns for the whole region, not just the US. And that appears to be the case, with news that the Saudis are willing to grant fly-over rights to Israeli warplanes if they are to attack the Iranian nuke facilities. (Would be a terrible move, IMO, but that's another situation.)

The end of Saddam's regime was a plus for the US and the region - but you can't enjoy the good without dealing with the inevitable bad. This is the hard part. When the going gets tough, the tough can't just run away.

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