Acting intelligently or like a cowboy?

The point that made him so angry was that he had personally witnessed how the Bush team that prepared for the Iraq War had closed its ears to experience related to this country. He did not even hesitate to pass on information he had received first-hand. What he said was this: former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld was personally responsible for the person most experienced on Iraq not being included in the team created on this issue by the American State Department.

Yesterday the whole world was focused on the announcement expected from Bush regarding a solution to the chaos in Iraq. Perhaps it was meaningless to expect a commonsense solution package from an administration that entered a war for false reasons and that did not even sufficiently take advantage of experience in its own country. But everyone was hoping that lessons had been taken from the many mistakes that have been made. Even if voices rising from Iraq or the region for the sake of a solution were not listened to, the report prepared by a respected Republican and Democrat based on statements by 170 important persons could have been taken into account. Presenting 79 concrete recommendations, the Baker-Hamilton Report possessed a perspective that could potentially disperse the chaos.

The report drew attention to the role of neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Syria, in regard to Iraq’s stability. It recommended postponing the Kirkuk referendum. It emphasized that stability would not be able to be established in Iraq while leaving the Palestinian issue unresolved. In addition, it made suggestions like contacting all parties in Iraq, talking about a schedule of American troop withdrawal, and regaining former Iraq Baath Party members by means of a general amnesty.

Announced officially on December 6th, this report was not the only study that could guide Bush on what to do on this matter. Another report was published 13 days later. Carrying the signature of the International Crisis Group, it commented on the Baker-Hamilton report. While supporting many recommendations, it made some new ones, as well. They also emphasized the roles of Iran and Syria in regard to stability. Accepting global and regional rivalry over Iraq as a datum, it pointed out the importance of an International Support Group to be comprised of the UN’s five permanent members and Iraq’s 6 neighbors. Again it emphasized Palestine and the necessity of abandoning the US’s forceful change of regime policy.

While road signs are prevalent and while there is a need for radical change in Iraq where 3,000 civilians lose their lives each month, the plan Bush presented does not give much indication that he has changed his point of view. Ignoring the internal struggle in Iraq and the regional and global rivalry, in short, the political aspects, Bush reduces the situation more to a matter of security. For this reason, he assumes that by sending 20,000 thousand more troops, he will resolve the security problem. Bush sees the delicate situation in Iraq as “a war between the free world and radical Islam,” words that have become a refrain since September 11th.

It is apparent that he also has a lot of hope in the new Iraq security forces that lie in the foundation of many violent events because they have been organized along ethnic and sectarian bases. For example, it is forgotten that a week ago England destroyed a police station in Basra belonging to these security forces with their own hands. It is forgotten that the three children of Tariq Hashimi, an assistant to the Iraqi President, were killed by militia organized within these security forces. Ignoring the example of Afghanistan’s capitol Kabul, it is thought that stability will be established in Iraq if security is established in Baghdad.

While everyone is emphasizing the contribution of Syria and Iran, on the first day of the plan the Bush administration showed it is not concerned about changing its image of “a bull in a china shop” by attacking the Iranian consulate in Erbil. In addition, by keeping silent on the Kirkuk issue, the importance of which was underscored in both reports, the risk of an outbreak of violence there was ignored.