Wednesday, June 06, 2007

I have a few rude questions about Iraq

These are rude questions. I may make some people angry for daring to ask them but so be it. Are the Iraqis worth all the hardship our soldiers and their families are being told to endure?

Be honest. Are we crazy to expect a country with 40% literacy, cousin marriage and low status for women to be capable of democracy? Are they even capable of a government that doesn't rely on dungeons and midnight arrests in order to function? Iraq is not Germany, it is not Japan. It's not even Korea. The culture for modernity isn't there.

Maybe, just maybe it's not a matter of winning. Our military could passify the militants in one week if they were allowed to really put the hammer down. Maybe it's that there is nothing to win. Five hours after we leave Iraq will turn into a blood bath no matter how hard we try to teach them to live another way.