[The New Zealand Herald, New Zealand]

 

 

Le Figaro, France

'All is Not Lost': The Duel Lesson of Iraq …

 

"The United States must make an effort to build a solid coalition of allies on which it can draw upon. And those allies must be prepared to play their part."

 

Editorial by Pierre Rousselin

                                                   

 

Translated By Kate Davis

 

March 20, 2008

 

France - Le Figaro - Original Article (French)

Five years later, everyone pretty much agrees that the war in Iraq was a mistake. Saddam Hussein didn’t have weapons of mass destruction - and the fall of the dictator, as welcome as it was - didn't put the Arab world on the path to democracy.

 

In the battle, the United States has lost a large number of soldiers, wasted an enormous amount of money and, more importantly, squandered the sympathetic capital that was at its disposal throughout the world. [Foreign Minister] Bernard Kouchner is wrong to say that America will never again regain “its magic,” but it's true that the next President of the United States will have to strive to restore the authority and radiance that America once possessed.

 

President Bush with the naval aviator who helped him land on the deck of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, just before he declared 'Mission Accomplished,' on May 1, 2003.

And yet, despite all this, Iraq is not the catastrophe that some had predicted. In the United States, the debate over this war without a draft has practically disappeared, replaced by other more pressing concerns for American voters, such as the state of the economy.

 

Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats are eager to revive the controversy. The former because they don’t want to jeopardize the chances of their candidate; and the latter because they feel that since early 2007 with the reinforcement of American troops, the tide has turned and Iraq is experiencing a fragile calm.

 

When the candidates do broach the subject, it has more to do with the past than the future. On the left, Senator Hillary Clinton is reproached for having voted in favor of the invasion; while on the right, John McCain, a fervent supporter of the war effort, hasn't hesitated to express his disagreement with the treatment reserved for prisoners.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

As for the future, everyone wants the war to end well with a withdrawal of American forces. But everyone also knows that a precipitous withdrawal would serve neither the interests of the United States nor that of Iraq.

 

Barack Obama is the candidate who has committed himself most to the return of the boys, but even he has given himself maneuvering room by providing for a long term retention of forces to fight al-Qaeda and ensure the s country's stability.

 

With a few months to go until a change at the White House, debating the past is no longer appropriate. The important thing is to draw the proper lessons in order to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

A first lesson is that military force is not enough to bring about stability to the Middle East. An intense diplomatic effort must be initiated with the very people who want to scramble the maps. But to do this, the United States must make an effort to build a solid coalition of allies on which it can draw upon. And those allies must be prepared to play their part.

 

If after five years this duel lesson can be drawn from the Iraqi episode on both sides of the Atlantic, all is not lost. In Iraq and in Afghanistan as well, a solution may yet be found.

 

CLICK HERE FOR FRENCH VERSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US March 25, 2:35am]