It’s been less than two months since the end of combat operations in Iraq, and already the glass-half-empty crowd is portraying America as having won the war but losing the peace.
I had the opportunity to visit Baghdad over the Memorial Day weekend with several of my House colleagues and witnessed American ingenuity and Iraqi determination first-hand.
The war eliminated a grave national security threat, deposed an evil dictator and liberated millions of people from oppression. Today, basic services throughout the country are being restored, a new democratic government is being planned and people no longer live in fear of punishment for expressing their thoughts or worshiping their religion.
The claims that progress is too slow, the situation is unstable and the United States lacks the expertise to get the job done does not reflect reality on the ground in Baghdad, Kirkuk and beyond. Indeed, the critics who complain that the seeds of democracy will not take root in the sands of a desert where tyranny ruled are as wrong today as the pessimists were in 1945.
In the aftermath of World War II, Japan and Germany were nations utterly destroyed by war and with a long tradition of militaristic rule. With the unwavering support of the United States and her allies, Japan and Germany were reborn as were full-functioning democracies within 10 years.
Today, they stand as prime examples of freedom’s power to lift up people economically and ensure tyranny’s demise.
These changes did not occur overnight and there were bumps in the road. Likewise, Iraq will not be rebuilt in a matter of only four weeks, especially after the years of abuse Saddam Hussein inflicted on his people, their land and their natural resources.
Indeed, it is inaccurate to define the task before the United States as rebuilding alone when, in fact, much of our time will be devoted to building the basic infrastructure of the nation. During our visit, it was clear that many of the delays in restoring essential services were not the result of war, but rather neglect by the regime.
Under Hussein, 40% of the population did not have clean water to drink, more than 500,000 children were malnourished and one in eight died before the age of five. Half of Iraq’s hospitals have disappeared in the past decade, 70% of its schools are in disrepair and electricity in parts of the nation was as rare as the right to express one’s mind freely.
During our time in Baghdad and Kirkuk, it was clear that everyday life is already improving for millions of Iraqis.
The reconstruction of Iraq and the formation of a civil society that respects basic human rights must be measured in years, not weeks. Human liberty must be pursued over time, not clocked like a sprint. Even the American journey took time.
The United States will fulfill its commitment to Iraq, and then we will depart, having liberated a nation, freed a people and established a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people.
