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(updated 1/03: Gun Issues)

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    The Iraq War Thus Far (updated 5/2/03)

    Conclusions as the war go on, from either side, is a risky enterprise. So I will offer some thoughts...

  • One should read and watch news coverage of this war with a healthy grain of salt. Raw coverage and data without time for reflection and analysis often skewers the truth. I posted something yesterday on how various news outlets covered the battle for Safwan Hill (one Australian paper mentioned and then retracted an account of the use of napalm; CNN gave it a passing reference but did not later retract it; many other sources didn't even mention it, and also gave notably different accounts of the battle itself, at times even in the same paper) that suggests the questioning eye one should have.

  • Life goes on ... it was a bit silly to suggest the cancellation of the Oscars, though downgrading some of the glitz was probably appropriate (keeping the Rivers inside should be made permanent ... kissing Hallie Berry on the lips, an annual event). While not fighting, the soldiers themselves are amusing themselves in any way they can, and I'm sure they hope their family and fellow Americans (and Brits, and ...) do so as well. The Mets did their part for NYC pride by beating the Braves (from the once treasonous state of Georgia) on Sunday. Kidding ... just kidding.

  • Those against the war, including death and destruction to Iraq and its people, are not sympathetic of Iraqi cruelty, shocked that it has arisen (yes, we thought Saddam and some of his supporters were SOBs too), and it doesn't negate the harm to the many innocent victims of the conflict. Opponents did suggest that with war would come cruelty, largely from Saddam's own hands. Fight a bully, the black eye you get might very well be worth the trouble, the bully is wrong to give it to you, but it's still possible an alternate way was possible. Some also worried that war would just heighten such cruelty by inflaming the people, and sadly this seems to be occurring ... including airing of cruel videotapes on Arab news stations, which we all know appeals to a certain class of their viewers.

  • It is a perilious enterprise, especially among amateurs, to estimate the death and destruction of war before (or even to some degree, as) it happens. I took attempts to do so with a healthy grain of salt. So, if it is relatively "minor" (I grimace even typing that), no "I told you sos" please ... the dead and injuried innocents in Baghad (major bombing blitz) are not needed to answer such crude taunts. The deaths of our soldiers and the suffering of their families are enough ... again, it might all be worth it. [Over 2000 civilian dead, surely over 10,000 military, a little over hundred coalition forces ... various deaths continue to occur.] Our forces have suffered few causalities (and reaffirms my concern about raw footage w/o analysis), and many against the war are quite happy (on this, nearly everyone agrees) and not that shocked (and many spoke of the "risk" of high casualities ... did the risk meet the risks of not going in? complex calculus) at this state of affairs.

    [It is cruel for Iraq to shove our POWs at us on television, but I also recall Robert E Lee telling his generals after a fairly easy victory (of course many on both sides still died) that it was a good thing that war was cruel, or we would be too fond of it. In some fashion, the cruelties of war should be recalled, though not that way.]

  • If WMDs are found, or even used, it doesn't necessarily justify this action. [WMDs not found ... some evidence they were moved out of country ... either result not a surprise to those against the war or against a war based on this issue.] Some opponents did suggest the possibility that the WMD threat was overblown, but others argued that even if Iraq did have WMDs , there was a better way of dealing with it. Furthermore, a few suggested that modern day powers like Iraq are likely to have WMDs anyway, so again, no shock if some pop up. Finally, some suggested that a better inspection process, including US helping the inspectors find them, would mean less of a chance that they would be used against us. Returning back to my first point, it also is possible they will be used, since the key battle -- of Baghad -- is still ongoing.

  • It is pretty clear that regime change was a key goal all along ... Secretary Rumsfield publicly stated over the weekend the fact it is a keystone of our war aims. The cynical would suggest that all the diplomacy and so on was therefore a ruse. Others will say that only with Hussein gone will we truly succeed in such aims as destroying WMDs and so forth. Another major aim highlighted is bring democracy and freedom to the Iraqi people. If so, just removing Hussein would not be enough. And it's a lot harder to do.

  • War brings forth in many a great pride in our military and troops, as well it should. The opponents of the war, however, are left with rather mixed feelings. That is, since this invasion is going so wonderfully (the hard part is going on as I type), what would have happened if the same might and will would have been put to somewhat different ends? It should not really shock (or awe) us to recognize that we can beat the Iraqis ... we beat them a while back when they were much stronger, and we are the world's remaining superpower and all. Surely, it is not a complete cakewalk, but opposition didn't really arise because we thought it was going to be some long quagmire. It was the aftermath that troubled many, as well as the fact that no matter how quick, the war would have its horrors. And many felt they weren't necessary. We felt that the same might shown now could have been used differently with more int'l support, resulting in a better end.

  • Some opposed to the war say in a resigned fashion that "we got into this mess, so we have finish it." This doesn't justify this action, any more than finishing an unnecessary operation instead of leaving the patient at the operating table means she should have been there in the first place. It is important in my eyes to be reminded of this fact, yes even when soldiers are in the field, because the seeds of the next conflict continue to be sown as we fight this one. And when is it okay to criticize? Our men and women will be in harms way longer than the x amount of days or so this war will continue.

    We will have to occupy Iraq for a period of time, and some suggest we keep troops there permanently. And even before this war started, our soldiers continued to be in harms way in Afghanistan. The criticism and commentary need not be of the Michael Moore variety (why that preening idiot had to win an Oscar is beyond me), but we do no one any favors really to silence it in wartime. History has shown that wartime is the time when it is often most necessary. If Lincoln can challenge the President concerning the Mexican War as it was fought, we can do so in the current situation as well. If we give fuel to our enemies, one is reminded that dissent always help "evil forces" to some degree ... the belief is that speech is still better than silence in this context.


    Note: The complexity and need to understand the events discussed below helps to explain the many links to further reading. I found Slate a good online resource, as well as the NY Times, and the Google search engine. Also, this ten year old essay on Muslim Rage is quite appropriate. In general, the internet is a good resource to add to local news coverage in order to better understand this tragedy.

    [My thoughts of the tragedy and the war arising from it can be found here]

    The picture of the flag "still there" at the World Trade Center can be found here, but watch out for the soundtrack.

    Email: jmatrixrenegade@aol.com