The Iraqi dilemma [Archives:2006/933/Viewpoint]

Editor
The news is so conflicting and every day there's a new story. Yet, the only consistent issue about Iraq is that there are more dead people every day, mostly Iraqi citizens or soldiers and regularly people of various nationalities. The worst thing of all is to witness the death of people who are there just because they wanted to convey the truth such as media personnel. Iraq has become a death hub for journalists and media crews as well as human rights activists, as it seems the angry wrath of distraction kills without discrimination.

The question is whether the situation in Iraq is getting better or worse? Statements by U.S. and British officials say things are getting under control and that it's a transition phase in which authority is being handed over to the local government. Other reports indicate that the internal conflicts between the Iraqis themselves are getting stronger and the country is on the verge of a civil war. A recent comment by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accusing the media of overstating the severity of recent sectarian violence in Iraq truly is amusing, especially given that at the same time, U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad admitted that the U.S. opened a Pandora's box when it invaded Iraq three years ago and that he could see the country descending into full-scale civil war.

The U.S. is not the only one struggling to get a grip on how things will proceed in Iraq. The Iraqis themselves have become more and more apprehensive about the future of their country, especially those waiting in anticipation outside Iraq. There are many Iraqis living in Yemen and they all seem to be developing a frustrated, sometimes indifferent, attitude toward what is going on in their home country. “We feel utterly helpless. There isn't a single family who hasn't been affected by the crises in Iraq, whether by losing a member, an income source or merely by the instability dominating the country,” an Iraqi man working in a Sana'a barbershop exclaimed.

There is no wisdom in war, especially one where the cause has been lost somewhere along the way. Many of the international soldiers sent to Iraq are having second thoughts about the righteousness of their mission in Iraq. The world has lost so much because of this alleged 'War on Terrorism' in Iraq. Ironically, it has caused nothing but more terror and terrorism.
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