Moonie Times: How to win in Iraq

[Barrett808]

How to win in Iraq
By Harlan Ullman

Will the United States win the peace in Iraq? And what does "winning" mean? Those are the mega-questions. And they are unlikely to be answered soon, and probably not even after Nov. 2, 2004 when voters will make their judgment.

First, a disclosure: This column predicted that waging the war in Iraq would prove easier than winning the peace. And it argued that the ultimate success of that war would be defined by how the peace turns out. To many, especially in the media, that battle is not going well.

The Bush administration reacted to this media criticism by launching a full-court public relations press over Iraq earlier this month. Complaining that the media reported only"badnews," spokespersons from the president on down flooded the nation with "good news" from beleaguered Iraq. Electricity was at or above pre-war levels. Clean water was running. Oil was flowing. Schools and hospitals were reopened and working. And, outside the so-called Sunni Triangle in and around Baghdad, Iraq was largely secure and peaceful.

All of that is correct, or largely so. The Coalition Provisional Authority, under Ambassador L. Paul Bremer's leadership, and U.S. and coalition military and civilians have performed extremely well under difficult conditions. However, whether or not these statistics and data points are good indications of what is really happening inside Iraq must be closely examined. Many journalists and reporters who were or are currently at work in Iraq have different views. Cited are concerns and even fears on the part of senior U.S. military officers that guerrilla attacks are increasing in ferocity, number and competence. Monday's attacks that killed at least 35 in Baghdad reinforce that view. Fractures between and among the various ethnic, religious and tribal factions appear to be growing, not shrinking. The Iraqi Governing Council increasingly has a mind of its own. And, for more and more Iraqis, the occupation has already lasted too long.

The administration also has a credibility problem. The urgency for war in March seems to have lessened today. Neither the Iraqi public nor the Iraqi National Congress have lived up to the administration's expectations of how quickly the transition of power in postwar Iraq to its citizens would occur. The vaunted weapons of mass destruction have not been found. Other bad press, such as the "outing" of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife, a covert CIA agent, has not helped. And, memories of Vietnam linger.

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http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20031028-083514-5384r.htm