Iraq and Religious Insanity

Although Saddam was not noted for being a religious man, the people over which he ruled are. His example is an exception in the Mid-East.

I believe the occupation of Iraq will pay off in the long run. Weapons of Mass Destruction aren't the issue. As Thomas Friedman points out, we needed to establish a presence in that region and Iraq was the simplest choice. The WMD argument was a mistake in that it misrepresented the true purpose of the intervention. Religious insanity has taken hold in that part of the world to such an extent that only through force might the situation be reversed. In the short term, things will get worse. We invaders wil be blamed for all past wrongs. However, if not us then who? Once religious fanaticism and its irrationality takes hold of all governing institutions of a society, there is little chance for recovery. We of the U.S. wisely segregated Church and State. For instance, Bush may be a very religious man but he is careful to state the separation of his presidential duties from his religious inspiration. Of course the two mix and influence each other but there is a check built into our system which prevents religion overstepping its bounds. Religion may be useful and inspirational at a personal level, yet it is a dangerous thing when elevated to the heights of governance and all the power that brings. Our goal in Iraq is to restore sanity, balance and give the people a chance for stability and health which is only possible when religion takes a back seat to rationality. This goal isn't intended solely for Iraq but for the whole Mid-East region. Iraq is but the seed.

The room for failure is great. We are not guaranteed success no matter how good our intentions. Some have compared our cause in Iraq as similar to our past cause in Japan after WWII. It seems, as with most things, the situation isn't so simple. Our efforts in Iraq will meet with different results and conflicts than did our efforts in Japan. For an informative look at these differences and why they are important, take a look at: Don't expect democracy this time: Japan and Iraq by John W. Dower.