By Brian Bohl
WASHINGTON – Protesters across the country demonstrated against the Iraq war this weekend, marking the conflict’s fifth year. Thousands assembled here Saturday, coming together at the Pentagon and the Lincoln Memorial. Back in New York, close to 1,000 more made their own stance against the war near the United Nations, with similar rallies taking place in cities like San Francisco.
This type of public backlash against an increasingly unpopular war is nothing new. But more statistical evidence continues to emerge to add empirical data and ascertainable facts, meaning the debate against the escalation of American forces is becoming less centered on pure rhetoric.
A poll released earlier in the week by ABC News and other press organizations showed that more than six out of 10 Iraqis claim their lives are not going well, while about half say a troop surge would not improve the security situation. The numbers indicate a decline in positive feelings toward the United States from the Iraqis since 2004, according to a Washington Post report.
President Bush’s ongoing fervent support for war’s continuation, including a controversial proposed troop surge that was expressed in the State of the Union address, is starting to get bombarded from multiple sides. First, if the Iraqis themselves lack confidence in the U.S. armed forces, or no longer want the assistance of a foreign country, a full immediate withdrawal is necessary.
Nearly every credible expert in the region has publicly stated that the Iraqis need to be willing to continue to fight for their country’s sovereignty and stability amid the insurgency. If the majority of the public fails to show a willingness to help themselves, no amount of U.S. soldiers can bring peace to the area.
If the Iraqis are not willing and able to trust the American military, than the White House’s push for more troops will only lead to more casualties while failing to quash the sectarian violence that engulfs the region.
The second reason why the Bush administration’s goals are failing to procure popular support is the fact that the record military spending for the two-front war in Afghanistan and Iraq could actually leave us more vulnerable to emerging threats like Iran and North Korea.
Continually adding new troops in Iraq, or forcing current service members to serve extended tours of duty, has not produced any tangible progress in Baghdad since January. Even high-ranking officers and military staff members are warning that victory is not possible in the short-term, and might not ever be a viable objective.
“We have a strategy right now that is outstripping the means to execute it,” Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Army Chief of Staff, said before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.
Monday marked the fourth anniversary since the invasion of Iraq, though this could be the most contentious year of Bush’s two terms. After the November midterm elections, a Democratic-controlled Congress is making it harder for the president to garner support on Capitol Hill.
While multiple senators have already generated buzz in this city by starting campaigns for the White House, President Bush is working against strong opposition in the legislative branch for the first time in six years.
“If American forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure, a contagion of violence could engulf the entire country; in time, this violence could engulf the region,” Bush said on Monday.
If the large-scale protests both in the capital and around the country weren’t clear indicators, the results in November showed that the American public is becoming increasingly skeptical at the prospects for a successful conclusion to the Iraq war. Rather than make the United States safer from external threats, the country might have comprised a militaristic advantage by spending hundreds of billions of dollars, including a pending $ 100 billion new war financing package that Congress will vote on this week.
The remarks by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provide a chilling reminder that spending money does not guarantee success if it is not allocated strategically.
“I am not comfortable,” Pace said in his testimony to the House Armed Services Committee if he felt confident the country’s Army units were prepared for other threats around the world. “You take a lap around the globe — you could start any place: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Venezuela, Colombia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, North Korea, back around to Pakistan, and I probably missed a few.
There’s no dearth of challenges out there for our armed forces.”This is not a knock on the U.S. military, but even the most advanced armed forces personnel in the world cannot be equipped to handle all threats at one time. The war in Iraq has cost the military plenty in lives (more than 3,200 deaths), resources and our once good-standing with many allied countries. The end is not in sight, and the protests and debates both here and around the world will continue as the war enters its fifth year.
Brian Bohl is a junior print journalism student. You can e-mail him at [email protected].