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For the past five years the world has been consumed with news from Iraq. Daily, we receive the latest death tally. Daily, we are bombarded with Arab and more objective media reports on the U.S. invasion on Iraq, referring to U.S. presence there as an occupation. I do not particularly care for the use of that word. It resonates with fascism. I am sure that is the objective of those who use it; hoping to shape our thinking on the U.S. involvement. And truthfully, that is all it is, a long drawn-out involvement.

Instead of just invading Iraq to remove a tyrant who threatened local and global relations and then leaving once the job was done, the U.S. chose to stay. Further engaging in an internal struggle for control of a region whose name for the past 69 years has been IRAQ.

Unfortunately for the American military personnel, as well as the Iraqi people, George Bush did not quite understand how Middle Easterners think. He seemed to believe the Iraqi people were waiting around for someone to come liberate them. And once liberated they would become a free and active democratic nation. No, not possible. Not at that time. What do Iraqi’s know of democracy? No other Muslim nation in the Middle East is democratic, so where is their role model?

Now I cannot fault Bush entirely, he wanted to show the Iraqi’s how to govern with fairness and trust. Perhaps thinking they would model their free nation, on a properous western-styled republic. In the end though, the Iraqi war has demonstrated, Might is Right. Unfortunately, it took George Bush five years to understand that concept. Five years and thousands of lives later the troop deployment is nearly sufficient to controll the anarchy. George Bush is finally playing by Muslim rules, Might is Right. What choice does he have?

My hope is still that the U.S. will leave Iraq immediately. Leave them to manage their own mess. Leave them to choose whether they want to slaughter each other or hammer out an agreement to establish a nation with common values; even if that choice is to separate into three new countries. Truth be told, they are stronger as one nation, with three states, than three nations that might then fracture even further.

Let Fate or Insufficiency provide
Mean ends for men who what they are would be:
Penned in their narrow day no change they see
Save one which strikes the blow to brutes and pride.
Our faith is ours and comes not on a tide:
And whether Earth's great offspring, by decree,
Must rot if they abjure rapacity,
Not argument but effort shall decide.
They number many heads in that hard flock:
Trim swordsmen they push forth: yet try thy steel.
Thou, fighting for poor humankind, wilt feel
The strength of Roland in thy wrist to hew
A chasm sheer into the barrier rock,
And bring the army of the faithful through.
– George Meredith