War in Iraq has grown more furious, and in a surprise move coalition power has been handed to an interim Iraqi government two days before the June 30 deadline. Despite renewed violence designed to cripple Iraq's future as a democracy, things are moving forward. Mistakes have been made, but for now the United States should have one question: How can we help?
Mainstream media and the world should realize that the fight for Iraq must be won completely. Either the Iraqi administration or the nation's militants and foreign terrorists will prevail and we should see to it that the right side wins. Shackling the U.S. military with further prisoner-abuse scandals and whatever non-essential lapses the media can cling on to is useless. Now is not the time. Events in Iraq are immediately translated into political implications for the president, while the bold and dangerous role played by Iraq's new leaders is shamefully ignored.
The interim government has made no secret that continued American presence is absolutely necessary and desired. Being the targets of car bombings and shootings of resistance fighters and Al-Qaeda terrorists, the wobbly government will understandably soon lash out at its attackers, and they need help. Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has promised the government's enemies that his administration will not "stand with our hands tied." Martial law is right around the corner, and the death toll is certain to increase. The so-called "horrors" of Abu Ghraib should fade when Iraqi defense takes the steps to eliminate potential threats to the new government. Prisoners taken, said one returned officer on campus, will either "rot (in prison) or get shot."
The true test of the American media and people will come when Iraq has control over its security, which probably will not happen until the latter half of 2005. For democracy to thrive, security must be controlled. The Iraqi government first must dam up their sieve-like borders. The Iraqi insurgence is composed mostly of foreigners, especially from Saudi Arabia and Syria. The new government will soon use fear to hold the country together like the terrorists and insurgents do to dismantle it. And if Iraq is going to be truly sovereign, we're going to have to step aside.
The feeling among soldiers, the Army officer on campus said, is that media is more interested in affecting the November election than they are in Iraq's future. By ignoring possibilities of the situation, media will turn this into a catch-22 for Bush, when the struggle for Iraq will really be fought by Iraqis. While helping, if U.S. troops use a heavy hand, they will be portrayed as abusive. If they allow the blossoming government to protect themselves with their methods, they're guilty of sponsoring a bloody regime.
Most Iraqis, despite the images, are elated with the United States' ousting of Saddam and his band of thugs. But, when they witness and live through the violent attacks committed by the insurgency, they question and rage against the occupation because of the high rate of civilian bystander deaths.
The Iraqis do not want to fight against the U.S.-led forces; they want to get back to their daily lives. There is already a well-established middle class in Iraq made up of mostly merchants running small businesses. Making money through commerce is what the average Iraqi is about. After the sanctions were lifted, the streets were filled with new televisions, satellite dishes, household appliances, computers and new cars. Under Saddam, before the first Gulf War, Iraq was considered a secular state. Aside from a few places of militancy, the lack of radical interpretations of Islam will make a transfer more possible. The American media needs to understand that the average Iraqi is not anti-American but rather pro-American dream. They want peace, and they want to start businesses to afford the luxuries available to others.
Without argument, there have been mistakes. The Iraqi army shouldn't have been disbanded, and the widespread looting after the fall of Saddam could have been prevented. The path to stability will be rocky and bloody, but it will have to be navigated by the United States and the sovereign government of Iraq. It is time to put politics aside and assist Iraq with its struggle toward democracy.
Christian Palmer is a journalism senior and can be reached at christian.palmer@asu.edu. David Lukens is a photography senior and can be reached at david.lukens@asu.edu.
