Imagining the Future in Iraq

Imagining the Future in Iraq

The future of Iraq remains unclear. There are those who have tried to categorize the current conflict as the next Vietnam. Others have dubbed it the next Afghanistan, and others still see a future for Iraq unlike any seen in history. In the midst of all this speculation, one thing is certain: eventually, the US military must withdraw from occupied Iraq. As a matter of history, occupation does not last unless there is a concomitant colonization and/or a significant population influx. Since the latter is absent from the current situation in Iraq, it holds that an eventual American military withdrawal is inevitable.

Interestingly enough, the U.S.'s "divide and conquer" method, i.e. one which attempts to polarize Iraq and hence cause an instability that will require a U.S. presence, seems not to have the intended effect originally postulated by the neo-conservatives who are running the show in Washington. Recent clashes in Fallujah and Najaf have shattered prior claims from the White House that laid blame for Iraqi resistance exclusively on Sunni, pro-Saddam residues within the country. Indeed, the resistance is phenomenon shared by several Iraqis, and Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld' s recent call for ten thousand new troops to enter the country doesn't help the situation. Already, Iraq has 115,000 American troops within its borders (compare that to Afghanistan's 13,500), and clashes between the resistance fighters and American troops are at a high.

Despite claims that the White House publicizes regarding its intention to subvert terrorism, the increasing military presence in Iraq is the strongest catalyst for the sort of anti-American political religiosity that might manifest itself in...

... middle of paper ...

...is do the same based on their own moral convictions.

In The Word for World is Forest, the occupied Athsheans were driven to the point of harming their occupiers for the sake of their own independence. Like the Athsheans, the Iraqis are being pushed to new levels of animosity against the occupying coalition forces, and the American public must be wary of the potential risks that come with their presence in the region. Aggressive action could spell for us an economic downturn, loss of life, and diplomatic crisis if things are permitted to go out of hand.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books, 1986.

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950.

Le Guin, Ursula. The Word for World is Forest. Rpt. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972.

Orwell, George. 1984. Rpt. New York: New American Library, 1984.