Reasons for War

[The Great Quail]

I think there are several valid reasons for this War, just as there are
several valid reasons to oppose it. By enumerating the pro-War reasons, I am
not siding with the Bushies, who -- in my opinion -- did a poor job
articulating the reasons to the world, and a worse job with the diplomatic
build-up to the war. Also, this is all predicated on the fact that, at the
root of it, oil is the a-priori reason we wish a stable, pro-US region. Of
course it is! But the following is also predicated on the fact that I do not
think the US is inherently evil, and does have some good intentions mixed in
with national security and the economy. Wal-Mart building a store in Baghdad
is, to me, a lesser evil than totalitarian politics, acid baths and
government sponsored rape.

Reasons for the war:

1. To disarm Iraq. The weakest reason, I agree: Iraq's chemical munitions
aren't really that threatening to the US. But nevertheless, this gives us
the *pretext* for "legal," UN-sanctioned war. (And of course, we pick and
choose what UN resolutions to enforce or ignore. I admit the hypocrisy.)
However, the UN is hardly an impartial observer, and France and Russia are
even more self-interested in Iraq than we are. All must play the charade,
learn the steps of the dance. But in the end, the US decided to act.

2. To ensure that Iraq never becomes nuclear. In my opinion, a much better
reason than the above, especially given the fall of the USSR, the breakdown
of Chechnya, and Kimmy about to pop out nukes like hotcakes. Left in power,
one day Saddam would probably get a nuke or two, and that would give him a
dangerous amount of control over the Middle East. I suggest reading Kenneth
Pollack's book for a very rational account of what this would be like.
Bearing in mind that with each passing year, keeping US troops in the region
becomes more problematic, it made sense to launch the invasion sooner than
later.

3. Remove a regime that actively fosters terrorism. Complicated by the
short-term problem that the inflamed Arab "street" may launch increased
attacks against us. But in the long term, removing Saddam, his wealth, his
prestige, and his terrorist camps is a good thing, and something I believe
will out-weigh the short-term negatives.

4. Liberate the Iraqi people. It is more than rhetoric; and in many ways, it
is our duty -- after all, we helped build this monster. No, we didn't create
him, and no, we weren't the main powers that aided him -- but we certainly
failed miserably to do something in the past, during the Iraq/Iran War and
during the Iraqi intifadah after the Gulf War. And yes, I am aware of the
irony of killing some civilians to liberate them. But to use Noam Chomsky's
reasoning against him, how many Iraqis will *not* perish over the next few
years because Saddam's gone? The Devil's calculus, indeed.

5. Foster an Arab democracy. Iraq is rather secular, well-educated, and
sophisticated. If democracy can take root here, it will flourish, and really
have a lasting impact on this region. It was a good place to start, and the
insanity of Saddam Hussein gave us the pretext to wade in there with a big
bag of fertilizer. However, if we fuck this up, it will be a catastrophe.
This is a risk, a huge gamble, and it will be insanely difficult -- but it
can be worth it. 

6. Demonstrate American power in a post 9-11 environment. Here's the one
that will get some people squawking, I'm sure! But I think one of the
reasons for this war was to demonstrate the sheer power of the US, our
ability to move a half-million people across the world and take over a
country within a month. That sends a very, very powerful message to the
region. Is it frightening? Of course! Is it imperialistic? Certainly it has
elements of imperialism. Will it have drawbacks? Most certainly. But I am
pretty sure that, when the smoke clears, it will leave some states with a
healthy respect for a superpower that has shaken off Viet Nam for good. Make
of that what you will.

Again, I am not saying that all these reasons sit easily on me -- I've seen
the blasted children and executed POWs, too. When you get down on the human
level, war is unthinkable. To that boy with no arms, to those KIA soldiers,
was the liberation of Iraq worth it? Of course not. But the complexity of
the matter demands a more distanced view from those of us who balance
emotion with intellect, compassion with resolve.

Also, I know there are some very valid and sane reasons to be against this
war -- beyond the reductionist "war is bad" and the naïve "diplomacy will
work" stances. I think that intelligent people of all kinds may look at the
situation and draw different conclusions. But since I made the decision to
support the war -- for many of the reasons listed above -- it's not my
intention to list them, though I respect them.

The next few months are going to be very interesting. I pray to God, Allah,
Jesus, and Shai Hulud that the US does not fuck things up. Please, let us
finally take a serious stance on the Israel/Palestine problem next.

--Quail