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"A WAR founded on illusions and lies is bound to founder in blood and fire." This is how Robert Fisk paints the present situation in Iraq.
America is losing friends one after another as several countries have ordered withdrawal of troops from Iraq. After Spain, El-Salvador, Honduras and Dominican Republic announced the withdrawal of their respective troops from Iraq. Poland is also on way to pulling its troops out of Iraq. The pullout of troops has been going on despite repeated requests from President Bush to his allies in Iraq to stick with Washington.
Almost everyday US people are hearing the death news of American soldiers in Iraq. US combat casualties in Iraq have already crossed 700. "The relatives and friends of troops who lost their lives in that effort would have known clearly and unmistakably what their loved ones had died for," commented an American Newspaper.
Against this backdrop some of the American newspapers started saying that it was a "wrong war" for America. The logic of what they give is that the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, by Al Qaeda, not Iraq.
Like other countries the Americans also have started saying that Iraq is going to be another Vietnam for the United States. The Iraq issue has surged to the forefront of the presidential campaign as fierce fighting flared. Democratic White House challenger John Kerry has accused the Bush administration of being "stunningly ineffective" on Iraq. He said the only solution may well be a new US president.
In fact, America is now facing a West Bank-style Iraqi intifadah (the holy war) although the US officials in Baghdad insist that the present situation in Iraq was not a general uprising. Immediately after the fall of Saddam, the insurgency activities were mainly carried out by pro-Saddam followers. But now the situation is completely different. Fierce fighting in half a dozen cities with the rebels putting aside their religious and political differences to resist occupation and casualties mounting on both sides are raising the question whether the Iraqis have started their Intifadah against the Americans.
Spain's new Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a strong opponent of the US-led war, repeatedly said during the election campaign that his troops would come back home if the United Nations did not take charge in Iraq by June 30. Democratic President candidate Kerry also called for a new mission authorised by the United Nations to help rebuild Iraq. He blamed President Bush for failing to lay out a clear strategy and charged him that he had misled top aides in his administration as well as the American people.
President Bush and his administration are in a quandary as pullout from Iraq would be a straight defeat while staying back means killing of more soldiers and losing support from the international community.
For the President, the Iraq solution could be sending more US troops combined with a UN mission to help rebuild the country and restore a democratic government. Paul Bremer, the US Administrator in Iraq, repeatedly announced that the administrative power would be transferred to Iraqis by June 30. The Iraqis believe that the transfer would be to a nominal Iraqi government with real seat of power being the US administration. And that's why even after one year of occupation, world people are seeing pictures of battles on the streets of Iraq.
The US exit strategy has to go through various stages. They have to establish a genuine political engagement with Iraq. They have to put real efforts to improve the lives of Iraqi people. They have to bring the United Nations into the scene and hand over the rule of Iraq to the Iraqis through the UN. And, above all, the multinational security forces in Iraq should be under the command of the United Nations as many countries opposed the US-led war against Saddam. As soon the United Nations is in command, bloodshed is expected to be ended.
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