Iraq situation is difficult, not disastrous.
David Brooks says that while we are facing some challenges in Iraq now, they are not anything that we can’t overcome. Brooks writes:
Maybe we should calm down a bit. I’ve spent the last few days talking with people who’ve spent much of their careers studying and working in this region. We’re at a perilous moment in Iraqi history, but the situation is not collapsing. We’re in the middle of a battle. It’s a battle against people who vehemently oppose a democratic Iraq. The task is to crush those enemies without making life impossible for those who fundamentally want what we want.
(*) Everyone needs to hear that.
We are facing difficulties in Iraq. We are not facing disaster.
The coalition military efforts in Iraq have long been in the counterinsurgency phase. In this phase, using overwhelming firepower is counterproductive. Negotiating without threatening force is also counterproductive. We are in a middle ground. It’s tricky, but the US military and our allies are capable of handling the problem.
The defeat of this uprising will not happen overnight. It may take several weeks or even longer.
The doom of the terrorists, insurgents, and Baathist holdouts is clear. They must either give up or be killed.
We should all remain calm and focused.