Editorial: A quick and safe return

The war in Iraq is the talk of the streets these days. It is on everyone’s minds. When the Horizon asked four residents how long they thought the war would last, they had a dual response. Half said they would like to see the war end as soon as possible. The other half, still coming to grips with the news coming out of Iraq, agreed it might take longer than originally expected.

Many people in Highbridge are sympathetic to both viewpoints. And whether or not they support the war and President George Bush, they all seem to support the troops—many have brothers, sisters, or more distant relatives fighting in Iraq—and would like to see them return home safe and sound, and as soon as possible.

There is another reason to hope for a quick end to this conflict—one that has so far gone underreported in the media. Not only are Americans being lost, but many Iraqis are being lost and wounded too. While many are soldiers, a great many are civilians. (The Iraqi Health Minister claimed last week that 350 civilians had been killed, and several thousand injured.) The bomb that blasted through a Baghdad market last week, killing 14 people, may or may not have been a U.S. bomb. (President Bush denies it was, though the Pentagon admits a bomb may have gone astray.) Regardless, the point is that innocent civilians in Iraq are also dying.

This sets up a difficult situation for the United States. Our objective is to depose Saddam Hussein from power. But that objective is going to come at a very high cost—human lives, and cities destroyed. The question remains: What will happen after this war?

That question points to a couple of big unknowns.

First, as the Wall Street Journal reported last week, because the United States did not have the backing of the United Nations, the UN will likely not agree to have a force from other countries to stay and stabilize Iraq after the war. That responsibility, then, falls on the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

That leads to the second big question: How will Iraq be ruled in the future? The United States has a tendency to push its ideals—democracy—on others. But that system may not work in Iraq, just as it is questionable that it will work in Afghanistan. (The Taliban recently attacked and killed Afghani government forces.) While many Iraqi people do not like Saddam Hussein and would like to see him kicked out of power, they do not necessarily want to be occupied by the United States either. Both Mr. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair do not have a clear plan for the future of Iraq. They are just focusing on trying to get through this war first. It would be wise to consider this war strategically, and as a means to an end.

This point brings us back to the beginning. The Horizon, like its readers, hopes the resolution to Gulf War II is quick, but expects it to be farther off than expected. Hopefully, the United States will make its people proud, limiting casualties on both sides while finding a solution for the future. Yes, let’s take Saddam Hussein out of power. But let’s do it the right way.