What is occurring in Iraq today could be and was foretold prior to and at the beginning of the American invasion. Not only were the reasons used to justify the invasion flawed, but the understanding of the nature of the sectarian and tribal divides that are centuries old are not going to vanish simply by having the U.S. wish them away.
Disbanding Iraq’s army and police by the Bush administration was foolish as it removed a stabilizing force. The fired and enraged troops, many who held membership in the Ba’ath Party simply to guarantee employment, became the basis of the fighters who are conquering Iraq today.
Fallujah particularly took American lives and was the scene of carnage. Mosul required the blood of our troops. The war took our young and pillaged our economy with the current events recalling the last helicopter leaving Vietnam.
What is occurring and will not be stopped by any power the West has, including bombing, is the division of Iraq. It is strange that the vice president when he was a senator proposed dividing Iraq into three self-governing regions: Sunni, Shia and Kurds. Regardless of the voices on the right who believe the world must bend to American military might, the people of Iraq appear to be deciding their future.
Edward Horn
Baldwin, NY
