We had another very important and significant event in Iraq the other day. Despite the constant polls that show this President is more popular than Lincoln, Johnson, Kennedy or many others during their terms, the facts are things are getting better in Iraq; despite the millstone of ignorance and bias. So we shouldn’t give polls more credence than they deserve, nor should we get mesmerized by the constant negativity of the media.
The media and many individuals have been biased against peace in the middle east and our success in Iraq. Whether by accident or intent is open for debate. I think it is both intentional bias combined with situational bias where a single car bomb is more sensational (newsworthy) than 100 successful public works projects, and the media has easier access to the former. So guess which we hear about? While there has been many successes and problems in Iraq, in order to understand what is really going on, you need to look at BOTH sides of events. That means equal treatment of both positive as well as the negative events. Thus if you only listen to one side, then you are ignorant. So with that in mind, here’s a reminder of the less reported side of what has really happened in Iraq (without ignoring the bad — just realizing that the bad without context is not the whole truth).
1) Saddam Hussien, one of the most brutal dictators in our generation, has been removed and is going on trial for his crimes against humanity.
2) His Sons / brutal successors, have also been eliminated. The brutal Baathist are damaged as a political movement across many countries. They are on their way to being an ugly footnote of history.
3) While we lost 25,000 lives in the war and post war violence, there was an average of 100,000 people dying each year under the Saddam regime. Thus, around 225,000 less lives have been lost than would have been under Saddam. Saving a quarter million people seems like a pretty significant victory.
4) While there is still violence and an insurgency in 4 of the provinces of Iraq, there’s moderate peace in 14 others, and rebuilding going on in all 18. 3/4ths of those polled in the Kurdish areas, Mid-Euphrates, and South said they feel “very safe” in their homes and regions. Also 3/4ths polled said security has improved in the last 3 months.
5) While there is still violence, the trend in frequency and effectiveness of the targets has radically declined. Iraq was the fanatics battle cry, it forced all the fanatics into one place (Iraq) to attack the west. (It brought the pus to the surface, where it could be cleansed). And they have been cleansed. They used to fight as cohesive proto-military force, attacking our military and the countries infrastructure. Now they are desperately only able to roadside bomb against civilians (because of the ineffectiveness against our military). This in turn is harming their perception in the eye’s of muslims. Which is why they got letters by their own leaders to stop.
6) Of the 55 most wanted criminals/terrorists at the start of the war, we’ve captured or killed 44 (all but 11). The rest are in deep hiding and unable to do the damage they could before. Al Queda has been neutered, organizationally, monetarily, in communications and in PR. We hear so infrequently from them, we aren’t sure if they are alive.
7) The first democratic election was held in Iraq on January 30, 2005, with higher turnout than elections in the U.S. (despite threats of violence)
8) There has been more than 660 community associations in 16 governorates established as part of a campaign targeting grassroots democracy. 83% of the Sunni’s in Baghdad now believe the decision to boycott in January was a bad idea (plus 5% unknown). 84% believe it is best to register and vote.
9) Hand over of sovereignty happened in Baghdad, Iraq, June 28, 2004
10) In August the interim government created the draft constitution
11) Oct. 15 there was constitutional referendum, where the most liberal constitution in the entire Arab world is getting ratified. More people showed up to ratify it, than in most U.S. elections, and in the last Iraq election. The day of desperation (election) the terrorists (including Al Queda) were barely able to muster 13 feeble election attacks, as compared to a 347 during last January’s election. Their campaign of threats and door-to-door flyers failed miserably. The people are winning their freedom, and the population prefers democracy to revolution.
12) Iraqi’s will once again go to the polls Dec. 15 to elect their permanent government.
13) Iraqi forces, have been rebuilt to 192,100 trained and equipped members. There are over 61,000 trained and equipped regular police officers and an additional 31,000 are Police Commando, Public Order, and Mechanized Police Batallions
14) We went from 15 Special Police Force units rated as capable of independent combat operations (in July) to 28 units now. We went from 18 of 79 military units (in July) to 36 of 88 military units now. There were 5 combat ready battalions in 8/04, to 88 combat ready battalions in 9/05. Iraqi units are responsible for security of over 450 square miles of Iraq, so far. A growth of about 50% in one quarter, and as we’re training the trainers, growth should continue.
15) Iraqi Army soldiers found multiple weapons caches, informed on by the Iraqi people. (we went from 483 insurgent tips/month in march, to 3341 in August). Iraqi Police officers in Baghdad conducted a variety of operations including multiple raids, arrests of suspected insurgents, and captured kidnappers. They are restoring order to their country. With the help of local Iraqi’s! The Iraqi’s are working against he insurgency and for peace and democracy; instead of under Saddam where a nation supported terrorists and funded them.
16) Iraq has made $18.1 billion in oil revenues last year, attacks against the pipelines have all but stopped. The went from a GDP of 13.6B in 2003, to 29.3B this year. Per capita GDP income went from $518 to $1051.
17) There have been 26,785 new Iraqi businesses established. It is considered easier to create a business in Iraq than in many countries in Africa and Asia
18) The Trade Bank of Iraq has issued Iraq’s first credit/debit cards, and the Dinar has stabilized
19) Sixty-five water treatment projects have been completed, with almost 100 still in progress; 21 sewer projects are complete, with 15 still working. Infrastructure is being restored and improved over the desperate conditions they had falllen under the Saddam regime.
20) Telecommunications. Since the transfer of sovereignty, the number of landline communications subscribers has risen from 794,198 to 997,675; Internet subscribers have more than doubled; and cell phone subscribers have jumped from just 488,966 to almost 3.5 million. People are free to talk, and taking advantage of that.
21) Before the war there were 0 independent newspapers, magazines or television in Iraq. Now there are over 100 Newspapers+Magazines, 72 commercial radio stations, and 44 independent Television Stations.
22) Olympic Committee of Iraq was readmitted to membership of the IOC on 27th February 2004, this time not run by a brutal dictator, and they competed in the 2004 summer Olympics
23) Despite years of neglect by the Saddam regime, and the damage caused by multiple wars, 3,105 schools have been renovated and another 950 schools are currently under rehabilitation.
24) Iraq’s Ministry of Health (MoH) initiated an immunization program with UNICEF and the WHO to protect 4.7 million children from the infectious disease
25) 49 Countries have active Embassies in Iraq
26) Zarkawi’s and Al Queda’s attempts to get the Sunni’s into a civil war have failed (so far), the Kurds are far better off, as are the Shi’ites. Even the average Sunni has more freedoms now than under Saddam.
27) Talk to the man on the street, or the soldier on the street is that things are getting lots better. While it is happening too slow (as is always the case), it is getting much better. This is why the terrorists abroad are getting more desperate, and why their allies at home like Cindy Sheehan, who has devoted her life to working against what her son gave his life for, are getting more shrill and more desperate as well. Their agenda is failing, and Iraq is getting better. Our troops may not have given their lives in vain, and they are desperate to turn that around. Their desperation is a symptom of our success.
28) We went from 30 coalition casualties per day during the first election quarter, to under 20 during this one. We went from 13 infrastructure attacks per week right before sovereignty (April-Jun 04) to about 4 right before the constitution. (Though there has been an up-spike right before the election). Sine sovereignty we trended from 550 attacks per week, to the high 400’s last quarter. (may be an up-spike this quarter due to referendum).
If you don’t think things are getting better in Iraq, then you’re flat out ignorant of what is going on. Many things are. Blaming the media for not looking deeper or thinking on your own, is a shallow excuse. And it isn’t just inside Iraq. Let’s look around the world at the effects of the war in Iraq and war on terror in general.
1) Syria has changed many behaviors and pulled out of lebanon, they are under pressure and unable to trade weapons freely with Iraq and Iran
2) Lebanon is holding elections and behaving like a more free nation
3) Israel showed a historically unprecedented move and returned captured land to Palestinians; and moves for peace and democracy have gone more forward than any time since the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts began
4) Egypt has made moves towards more democracy than in decades
5) Saudi Arabia has made moves towards more elections, and more freedoms, as well as cracking down on terrorists. They are talking about things like Women’s rights, and moves towards more democracy.
6) In Spain, where they tried to appease the terrorists who attacked them (like many advocated here), the number of attempted terrorist attacks have gone up exponentially.
7) In Germany, where they had a rabid far-left anti-American fanatical and corrupt and incompetent regime is being replaced by a slightly less far-left, not as anti-American more moderate regime.
8) France and Chirac (and the EU) have paid some penalties in the worlds eye’s and in the eyes of Europeans, and is not as strong now as four years ago.
9) North Korea actually came to the table and gave in to multinational demands as the Bush administration had advocated, and will have more pressure to comply than if they just made another one on one agreement with the U.S. (that they have a long history of breaking those agreements)
10) Libya voluntarily gave up its weapons of mass destruction
11) Iran is pressured by being completely surrounded by Muslim regimes (Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq) that are more democratic (free) than they are. They are being pressured to slow or stop their nuclear ambitions.
12) Afghanistan has the elimination of the Taliban, and things are slowly getting better.
13) There has not been one successful terrorist attack from outside forces, inside the U.S., since Iraq war.
Iraq had more to do with the war on terror before we invaded than either Israel or the U.S. did. It has even more to do with it now. We have 26 million people working with us in the war on terror, or have a terrorist sponsoring nation and an example of our impotence in the center of the middle east.
Many ignorant people say “Bush doesn’t have a plan to win in Iraq”. But once again, I think the elections prove that he does (and more importantly the military and civilian advisors he listened to, do); let freedom ring and give it enough time to effect the people. Let the political process motivate the Sunni’s, and let the country free itself from the tyranny of its past. You don’t have to like Bush, agree with the plan, or the concept of war (or this war). But you should be rational enough to consider that maybe this progress is the fulfillment of a plan, with the usual surprises and setbacks. More troops alone are no guarantee things would be better; it would have meant more targets, more cost, more to coordinate, more time to adapt to changing conditions, more political pressure against the war, more lives lost, and meant the Iraqi’s would have felt they would have had to do less on their own. So there’s no guarantees in war or politics. Those attacking are doing so from a position of ignorance or hate, and with an agenda in mind — and that agenda usually isn’t for our success. But because of the war, we could have a stable democratic Iraq, that is our ally in the war on terror, instead of our enemy and the sponsor of our enemies and terrorists in general.
To Al Queda and the fanatics against us, even at the highest point of unrest in Iraq, at our weakest point (in a foreign country), where they have the “home court advantage” (culturally), and in a culture that has been raised to despise us, we are slowly winning. To the world, and the middle east, they have a hope for a freer middle east, and an alternative to the hate of terrorism; thus more people are choosing their own freedom and self determination than are choosing to waste their lives in hate and resentment. This should continue to grow over time, as long as we follow through, don’t leave too early, and don’t listen to those who wish us to fail and value their own political agenda over the lives of Americans and Iraqi’s and the peace and security of the world.
Some References:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005/d20051013iraq.pdf
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/
http://www.defendamerica.mil/
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