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The administration has an obligation to the American people to provide what it promised
Reader comment on item: War as Social Work?

Submitted by Alex C (United States), May 7, 2003 at 20:09

Because the war was sold to the American people on the premise of freeing the Iraqis -- what greater proof than the name "Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- the administration has an obligation to the American people to provide what it promised.

Many of us "bought" the war because we were convinced by the administration that Saddam was evil and that the war would help Iraqis.

If the war was sold to us only on the premise that Iraq is a security threat, then Dr. Pipes would have a point. But it would be a denial of the obvious to claim that that was how the war was spun, or fought for that matter, as Iraqis were promised freedom and a better life for supporting us. To say that and walk away would be akin to Iraqi soldiers attacking our troops under the cover of surrender.

It was clearly promised to Americans that the war would make life better for Iraqis. And it was promised to the Iraqi people that this was was for their freedom. To walk away now and break those promises would be morally wrong and unworthy of our nation. (not to mention strategically short sighted, as how many North Koreans would support us if they knew we could care less about their fate, that we only cared for our own)

Alex C

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Reader comments (50) on this item

Title By Date
"War As Social Work" [201 words]Renee BouvierNov 8, 2007 15:32
Enhancing America's Security vs. War as Social Work [22 words]jennifer solisOct 13, 2007 14:40
WELcome democracy [92 words]samanJul 12, 2005 22:16
The Long Term [180 words]AdamJul 23, 2003 11:50
War as Social work [164 words]A.K. LenceskiMay 23, 2003 02:14
A problem [605 words]David IseckeMay 14, 2003 17:48
Brilliant! [26 words]Carmen Waggoner, Ph.D.May 14, 2003 11:15
reason for military intervention [102 words]dave morrisMay 9, 2003 19:52
Real war [189 words]A.A.May 9, 2003 18:38
Strengthening alliances [247 words]Antonio ChavesMay 8, 2003 14:27
USA saved Aussie bacon as well [166 words]Craig LawrieMay 8, 2003 00:41
Social Work and National Interest [171 words]William KinneyMay 7, 2003 23:01
⇒ The administration has an obligation to the American people to provide what it promised [223 words]Alex CMay 7, 2003 20:09
Altruism benefits no one [125 words]Maryallene OtisMay 7, 2003 18:41
Thank you for calling attention to the media's spin [171 words]K WallMay 7, 2003 16:30
How about DeSoto property rights? [48 words]Jules C.May 7, 2003 13:17
Well Done [14 words]Moshe CohenMay 7, 2003 12:48
Then why....? [73 words]Barbara RunkelMay 7, 2003 05:42
Remember 9/11 and American security? [160 words]Ivan BarnaMay 7, 2003 01:26
Amen [131 words]Jim FitzgeraldMay 7, 2003 01:10
Well put! [15 words]PennyMay 7, 2003 00:01
The road to hell [16 words]Vivek L. DevMay 6, 2003 23:35
It doesn't follow [226 words]Jim RyanMay 6, 2003 21:49
Unique point of view [22 words]Ann CiccolellaMay 6, 2003 19:56
Brilliant Insight [62 words]Peter H. RonaiMay 6, 2003 19:32
Whose Security? [305 words]Giulio BattistonMay 6, 2003 18:32
Take a Spin [5 words]N. HayesMay 6, 2003 18:28
Americans help make the economic recovery become possible... [84 words]Tilman WinklerMay 6, 2003 18:18
Islamist Schools [95 words]Graham Rael-BrookMay 6, 2003 16:53
Nation Building [152 words]Paul M. NevilleMay 6, 2003 15:00
Very well-said about war [125 words]rjalexandMay 6, 2003 14:51
Amazing [51 words]Larry BensonMay 6, 2003 14:29
War against Iraq [66 words]Samir Khalil SAMIR, SJMay 6, 2003 14:09
Philanthropy is our interest! [191 words]AvrahamMay 6, 2003 13:36
I respectfully disagree [128 words]Boris GurevichMay 6, 2003 13:26
Surrender And Be Free! [176 words]EdMay 6, 2003 13:20
Thank you: intelligence with common sense [25 words]Marcella JenkinsMay 6, 2003 13:15
Social work required [131 words]JockoMay 6, 2003 13:10
Right on!!! [107 words]Jacob B. Padgug, Ed.D.May 6, 2003 12:58
A ray of sanity [126 words]Patrick BramwellMay 6, 2003 12:14
Other Wars [88 words]Jeff FosterMay 6, 2003 12:06
Pipes says what Bush Admin Thinks [180 words]Larry DerfnerMay 6, 2003 11:27
With respect, this time you're off-track. [239 words]David ScholemMay 6, 2003 11:19
Iraqi Freedom [24 words]Ron WeinerMay 6, 2003 11:17
Germany after WWII [54 words]G.C. Colan, Esq.May 6, 2003 10:56
"Moral" interests [233 words]Ali LebanonMay 6, 2003 10:13
The Ultimate War Goal? [146 words]Alain Jean-MairetMay 6, 2003 09:57
Dr. Pipes has identified a MAJOR guiding principle. [86 words]DSm.May 6, 2003 09:51
Nemesis of Islamists [180 words]R.D. CrockettMay 6, 2003 09:19
Oh how the truth hurts! [155 words]Daniel LenardMay 6, 2003 09:16

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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.

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