THE RADICAL and violent Hamasparty has recently been votedinto power in the Palestinian elections, creating new tension with Israel while Iraq, as always, operates as a continuous quagmire with no end in sight. Furthermore, the United States and the European Union are considering sanctions on Iran for attempts towards nuclear proliferation.
Realistically, the only reason Iran or Hamas is conducting talks with anyone is because of the military capability of America. But the United States is not the formidable opponent that it once was in 2002, when the rest of the world seemed to share America's commitment to the war on terror.
One reason why dictatorships and theocracies are able to enjoy broad support, both from within their own countries and from other global powers is because they have strained relations with the United States over the invasion of Iraq. Our country's presence in Iraq continues each day to lose the support of the rest of the world and of a growing number of Americans. A new report released last week by the Pentagon indicates that the Army can't sustain the pace of troop deployment long enough to break the insurgency within Iraq. Additionally, the United States is spending an unsustainable $177 million each day in Iraq, according to the Associated Press. Clearly, we must either withdraw entirely or deploy additional forces into Iraq as soon as possible because a quasi-occupation with insufficient troops is harmful for both Iraq and the United States.
A withdrawal would not regain much of America's credibility with the rest of the world, but it would leave us with a greater military might to protect ourselves from other fanatical governments with adequate -- not thin -- force.
Iraq's government, although still not the most stable democracy, is capable of handling itself politically, and the Iraqi army must learn sooner or later to handle its own battles without U.S. intervention. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, over 30 Iraqi battalions are currently capable of defending themselves from Insurgent attacks. Violence continues from with Iraq and will likely remain, but there is little evidence that the U.S. presence is causing violence to abate -- on the contrary, the American presence has been a rallying cry for many Iraqi insurgents, creating even more attacks. As evidenced in the fall elections, a majority of civilian Iraqis support democracy, and its improved military will allow Iraq to be more able to continue democracy on its own. Besides, a true democracy is only a democracy when it isn't a puppet to the occupying government. An unburdened democratic Iraq in the long run will be more willing to support the U.S. against potential enemies such as neighboring Iran or nearby Palestine.
More importantly for the United States, withdrawalwill free up additional funds and troops, and America will be able to possess the military muscle that existed before the invasion.
This is not to say that the U.S. should preemptively invade Iran if it should acquire nuclear weapons. One country invading or threatening the internal safety of another country is the best reason for a preemptive strike. And while known atrocities might also justify an invasion, there should be broad international support; no country should just charge in alone without a plan for peace.
Despite the Bush administration's mindless support for the war in Iraq and its preemptive intervention, the U.S. is neither the world's babysitter nor its police. Any actions opposing the U.N. nonproliferation treaty, such as those of Iran, must be enforced first and foremost by the United Nations. However, a mostly unburdened and better funded U.S. military will not only be better able to support the U.N. but will also have a greater ability to prevent any future attacks by Iran and will have more resources to aid Israel if the Hamas government should create future violence, not to mention being able to fight terrorists more effectively at home.
The key for long term stability is to let the Iraqi people defend their own country and to use our own unburdened forces to promote democracy around the world -- not to take over the U.N.'s job.
Sadly, the current administration's plan to continue blindly with a weak troop presence in Iraq is unsound. This only allows Iran and religious militants to gain power while America remains tied to a country in which a strong majority of Iraqi citizens support a withdrawal of troops, according to a recent Newsweek poll. Americans, Iraqis and the world deserve better.
Adam Silverberg's column usually appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at asilverberg@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
BURSTEIN: Federal workforce cuts target Virginia — and Youngkin’s response falls short
By Carly Burstein | 3 days agoForcing employees to choose between uprooting their families or losing their livelihoods is not just callous — it is economically reckless.
HUYNH: Virginia’s proposed ‘whippets’ law is laughable
By Viet Huynh | 3 days agoAs people continue to be harmed by nitrous oxide abuse, Virginians will see this new law as the ineffective, ultimately harmful policy that it is.
EDITORIAL: We can demand more of our university presidents
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoWe hope for greater transparency because for the principles of solidarity in this statement to be enacted and effective, stakeholders must be treated as partners in resistance.
