THE WISDOM FUND: News & Views
September 2, 2003
The Boston Globe

Facing the Truth About Iraq

by James Carroll

THE WAR IS LOST. By most measures of what the Bush administration forecast for its adventure in Iraq, it is already a failure. The war was going to make the Middle East a more peaceful place. It was going to undercut terrorism. It was going to show the evil dictators of the world that American power is not to be resisted. It was going to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis. It was going to stabilize oil markets. The American army was going to be greeted with flowers. None of that happened. The most radical elements of various fascist movements in the Arab world have been energized by the invasion of Iraq. The American occupation is a rallying point for terrorists. Instead of undermining extremism, Washington has sponsored its next phase, and now moderates in every Arab society are more on the defensive than ever.

Before the war, the threat of America's overwhelming military dominance could intimidate, but now such force has been shown to be extremely limited in what it can actually accomplish. . . .

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[PRESIDENT BUSH abruptly reversed the central thrust of his Iraq policy yesterday, turning to the UN to help to extricate the US from its increasingly costly postwar plight.--Roland Watson, Elaine Monaghan and Richard Beeston, "America asks UN to help sort out Iraq," The Times, September 4, 2003]

[How arrogant was the path to war. As President Bush now desperately tries to cajole the old UN donkey to rescue him from Iraq--he who warned us that the UN was in danger of turning into a League of Nations "talking shop" if it declined him legitimacy for his invasion--Robert Fisk, "Don't say we were not warned about this chaos," The Independent, September 5, 2003]

[Since last week, this attractive Tikrit suburb overlooking the Tigris River has been surrounded by four miles of razor-sharp concertina wire and guarded by heavily armed U.S. troops.

Enclosed by the wire are the homes of Hussein's relatives: 3,000 people who trace their common lineage back as far as 10 generations - and who prospered under the deposed dictator's rule.

Today, all but one of the entrances to Al Auja have been sealed. No one can go in or out without the U.S. Army's permission. Every male older than 15 must register with police and show a newly issued identification card at the gate. All vehicles are searched coming and going. U.S. trucks and tanks patrol the streets.Richard C. Paddock, "Hussein's Birthplace Under Wraps," Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2003]

[The White House yesterday drew up emergency plans to accelerate the transfer of power in Iraq after being shown a devastating CIA report warning that the guerrilla war was in danger of escalating out of US control.--Julian Borger and Rory McCarthy, "We could lose this situation," Guardian, November 13, 2003]

[It is the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but transported to Iraq. A town is imprisoned by razor wire. The entrance is guarded by soldiers, protected by sand bags, concrete barricades and a machine-gun nest.

Only those people with an identification card issued by the occupation authorities are allowed in or, more importantly, out.--Phil Reeves, "Americans turn Tikrit into Iraq's own West Bank," Independent, November 18, 2003]

[Nearly 80 percent of Iraqis have little or no trust in U.S.-led occupying forces and most place their faith in religious leaders instead, according to a major survey published in Britain.--Gideon Long, "Iraqis do not trust U.S.-led forces," The Mirror (UK), December 1, 2003]

[The author says the threat is rooted in opposition not to American values, but to policies and actions, particularly in the Islamic world.--Douglas Jehl, "Book by C.I.A. Officer Says U.S. Is Losing Fight Against Terror," New York Times, June 23, 2004]

[Most senior US military officers now believe the war on Iraq has turned into a disaster on an unprecedented scale--Sidney Blumenthal, "Far graver than Vietnam," Guardian, September 16, 2004]

Douglas Jehl, "U.S. Intelligence Shows Pessimism on Iraq's Future," New York Times, September 16, 2004

Charles Laurence, "US deserters flee to Canada to avoid service in Iraq," Telegraph, January 9, 2005

Paul Craig Roberts, "What's Our Biggest Problem...the Insurgency or Bush?," CounterPunch, January 12, 2005

"Report: U.S. can't win Iraq war," United Press International, January 22, 2005

Neela Banerjee, "Few but Organized, Iraq Veterans Turn War Critics," New York Times, January 23, 2005

[With the brutal sieges of Fallujah and Najaf in April 2004, Glantz contends, the transformation of the United States in the eyes of Iraqis from liberator to oppressor was complete.--Aaron Glantz, "How America Lost Iraq," Tarcher, May 19, 2005]

[After what has been described as the most foolish war in over 2,000 years, is there a way out of Iraq for President Bush--Brian Whitaker, "Nowhere to run," Guardian, November 29, 2005]

Mark Morford, "America Loses Another War," sfgate.com, December 13, 2006

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