An article by Dr. Abd Al-Khaleg Hussein was posted on reformist websites such as www.aafaq.org. In the article, the Iraqi columnist argues that President Bush’s new strategy in Iraq is already showing signs of success and that what is happening in Iraq will necessarily end in the defeat of terrorism and in the recovery of the region from its ills once and for all.
The following are excerpts: [1]
"There is nothing that [some] Arabs hate more than the word 'success,' when it appears in connection with the political process in Iraq. To wit: Every article by a reformist who wants the good of Iraq is met with the same unrestrained and pessimistic responses; he is scolded, his opinion is disparaged, he is accused of ignorance, etc. In contrast, anyone who writes an article indicating the failure of U.S. policy in Iraq is praised and glorified, and is characterized as having plenty of objective knowledge on the subject, and acute analytic skills. [These Arabs] want [to see] Iraq turned into piles of rubble in which the owls hoot at night, as their now-buried master, Saddam Hussein, [once] promised. Unfortunately, however, they are fools who know nothing about the logic of history. [They do not realize] that the heavy wheels of history will roll over them mercilessly, and that what is happening in Iraq is destined [not for failure], but for success.
The Arabs Consider It a Virtue Not to Acknowledge Their Mistakes
It is true that the Americans, like all other human beings, make mistakes - but [when they do], they do not give up, and they are not ashamed to sit down and reexamine their strategic plans from time to time in order to determine what went wrong. If they identify the mistake, they acknowledge it and look for an alternative [strategy], until they find the best and [most] efficient option. The Arabs, [on the other hand], consider it a virtue not to acknowledge [their] mistakes...
"When George Bush acknowledges that mistakes were made during the complicated process of liberating Iraq from a dictatorial, despicable, and barbaric regime and establishing a democratic and civilized regime in its place, the Arabs perceive his acknowledgement as evidence of failure and defeat, and [infer] that the Ba'th [party] is undoubtedly 'coming back.'
"The difference between the Arabs and the West is vast. The Arabs think with their [gut] and leave all fateful [decisions] in the hands of a tyrant who drives them like sheep towards the abyss. Their only role is to support the 'unparalleled leader' and to praise him. The [people of the] West, [on the other hand], think with their heads, without ranting. The leader is elected by his people after an intense battle [between candidates], in fair elections. Although he has extensive authority, he does not dare to act before the experts surrounding him - most of whom are academics - conduct intensive and comprehensive research. Plans are implemented only after thorough examination; even after implementation, they are constantly reexamined, critiqued, and amended - a [practice] considered highly shameful by the Arabs (since a [real] man never changes his mind or reneges on his word).
"After four decades of dictatorial rule, which deliberately sowed ignorance among the public, the process of replacing the regime in Iraq is not a [simple] one - especially since the country is surrounded by hostile and malevolent neighbors that wish to destroy it. This grand modernization plan - which seeks to bring Iraq, and the region [as a whole], out of the darkness of previous centuries into the civilization of the 21st century - is not a simple one. It will unavoidably be accompanied by mistakes, casualties, and severe upheavals, but there is always room for reexamining and amending [the plan]. This process must succeed because it cannot fail - for failure means a disaster not only for Iraq and the region, but for the entire world. The political process in Iraq can therefore [proceed] in only one direction: towards success, towards the defeat of terrorism and towards the region's recovery from its ills once and for all.
"What are the indications that Bush's strategy in Iraq is succeeding and that Iraq's enemies are being defeated?...
"The failure of [the attempt by Muqtada] Al-Sadr's faction to boycott the Al-Maliki government. This faction, which has six ministers and 32 representatives in the [Iraqi] parliament, tried to extort Al-Maliki's government. Two months ago, they [tried to] force [Iraqi Prime Minister] Mr. Nouri Al-Maliki to make meeting with Bush in Amman conditional upon an American announcement of a schedule for withdrawal from Iraq. Al-Maliki refused, and in response, [Al-Sadr's people] ordered their ministers and MPs to resign in hopes of embarrassing the government and sabotaging the new plan.
"[Al-Maliki's] response was the opposite of what the leaders of the Al-Sadr faction had expected: He did not capitulate. [As for] Bush, he not only refrained from presenting a schedule for withdrawal, but decided to send more troops (some 21,000 American soldiers) to Iraq, in order to help the government eradicate terrorism and defeat the militias. Instead of sticking to their boycott, Al-Sadr's [people] scurried to rejoin the government, when they discovered... that the situation would [actually] be much better without them. They swallowed their threats, became silent, and [slunk] back [into the government], full of remorse. There can be no doubt that [both] the order to boycott and [the order] calling it off came from their master, the leader of Iran, who pays their salaries.
"We have repeatedly written and warned that Iran and Syria are behind the support for the terrorism in Iraq, and that unless this support is removed, the suffering of the Iraqi people and the region's problems will continue. The American administration has finally understood the danger, given it top priority in its strategy in Iraq, and translated [this understanding] into action by sending [more] naval forces and additional minesweepers to the Gulf to confront Iran. Iran's immediate response was to ask Saudi Arabia to mediate between it and the U.S., in order to remove the threat of war hanging over it and avoid receiving a crushing blow. [Iran] also expressed willingness to help stabilize Iraq. In addition, increasing criticism [has been heard] inside Iran against the vindictive [Iranian] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: [People] warned that he was leading the country to disaster, and demanded that he be restrained."
The Leaders of Iran and Syria Must Understand the Reality
"Let me emphasize once again that the political process in Iraq is irreversible, and it is inconceivable for it to fail - regardless of whether the U.S. is headed by George W. Bush (a Republican) or by some [other figure] from the Democratic Party. [Even] if the American administration changes, the foreign policy of the U.S. and of the other Western countries will not change, since success in Iraq is success for the whole world and victory for the voice of reason and wisdom - while failure [in Iraq] is a disaster not only for Iraq but for the whole world.
"It is therefore inconceivable that this process should fail. The leaders of Iran and Syria, and all the deluded among the Arabs or anywhere else [in the world], must understand this reality and act accordingly, and minimize their losses by putting an end to the Iraqi bloodbath and listening to the voice of reason and conscience. Otherwise they will bring a grave disaster upon themselves and upon the world."
Endnote:
[1] http://www.aafaq.org/report/aa/2227.htm January 25, 2007.
