Here is an Op-Ed I wrote arguing that the invasion in Iraq is a setback in the War on Terrorism. I think the Democrats need to make the case that Bush is not prosecuting a smart war on terrorism. Let me know what you think, is it persuasive, how's my framing, any innaccuracies.
Iraq a Setback in the War on Terrorism
Republicans claim Iraq is central to the war against terrorism, but the fight against global terrorism needs to be fought on at least three different levels: militarily; economically; and diplomatically. When viewed in these terms, the war in Iraq can only be seen as a setback in our fight against Al-Qaeda.
(more below the fold)
Clearly, terrorists pose a serious military threat to the U.S. and our interests abroad, and they require a strategic military response. Unfortunately, As the Duelfer report, the 9/11 Commission report and the Kay report made clear, Iraq had no Weapons of Mass Destruction, posed no significant threat to the U.S., had no substantive ties to Al-Qaeda, and had no role in the 9/11 attacks. By invading Iraq we have limited our ability to respond to threats elsewhere in the world. We now have 150,000 soldiers stuck in Iraq, and of course over 1,400 U.S. soldiers killed and 10,000 wounded.
By choosing to invade Iraq, we have diverted troops, money, and Arabic interpreters from the important work in Afghanistan. Three years after the 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan is largely controlled by regional warlords and Osama Bin Laden is still free. In Iraq, through inadequate planning for the post-invasion period, we allowed 380 tons of plastic explosives and entire nuclear facilities be taken by insurgents or terrorists.
We also must consider the economic costs of the war on terrorism. while fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden learned that terrorism was an effective economic weapon against a superpower. He has stated publicly that one of his goals is to bankrupt the U.S. Although the 9/11 attacks had only a short-term negative effect on our economy; the increase in the military budget, over $200 billion spent on the invasion of Iraq, and reckless tax cuts have combined to push our national debt to unsustainable levels. As a consequence, our national debt is currently $7.5 trillion, and foreign governments are increasingly unwilling to keep financing our massive debt. The incredible amount of money spent on Iraq limits what we can spend on true humanitarian efforts, like aid to victims of the recent tsunami.
The war on terrorism is, most importantly, a war for hearts and minds. It is not enough to fight current terrorists, we need to slow recruitment of new terrorists and the rhetorical fight against Islamic extremism has to be led by moderate Muslims, not the U.S. With over a billion Muslims in the world, there will always be Islamic extremists, U.S. foreign policy will have a large impact on whether they are a fringe group or gain popular support. By framing the war on terrorism as a "crusade" between Christians and Islamic Extremists we are undercutting the efforts of moderate Muslims and swelling the ranks of terrorist organizations. According to the Department of Defense's Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication "American direct intervention in the Muslim World has paradoxically elevated the stature of and support for radical Islamists."
We also can't overstate the negative effect of the Abu-Ghraib torture scandal and the death of 30,000-100,000 Iraqis in turning moderate Muslims against the U.S. Although we rarely see pictures of dead Iraqi civilians in the U.S. media, millions of Muslims are seeing them everyday. Any group that uses suicide attacks as a weapon, must be able to recruit new members. Ironically, due largely to our actions in Iraq, Al-Qaeda recruiting is increasing while our National Guard is falling short of its recruitment goals.
By invading Iraq before U.N. weapons inspectors could complete their work and without international support, the Bush Administration chose to ignore the Powell Doctrine, the counsel of other countries (many with a long history of fighting terrorism), International Law, and the warnings from the CIA. The invasion of Iraq has over-stretched our military, weakened the U.S. economically, and increased anti-U.S. sentiment around the world.
U.S. forces are now stuck in Iraq for the foreseeable future with no clear exit strategy. Only time will tell if Iraq becomes a functioning democracy, a theocratic state, or descends into civil war.
If we truly want to win the war on terrorism, we need to strategically target the real threats of terrorism, get our economic house in order, rebuild international alliances, and focus our diplomatic efforts on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and supporting moderate Muslims around the world not authoritarian regimes. George Bush garnered a political advantage by acting forcefully in Iraq, we need to let our leaders know that the urge to act forcefully should be tempered with the need to act wisely.