Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea for the Iraqi government to reignite the Shiite civil war?

When the Bush Administration first promoted the idea of “the Surge” it was always understood as a temporary measure designed to create a more secure environment for a national Iraqi political reconciliation.

While the US military achieved a number of impressive strategic and tactical victories towards this end, the ultimate result was a less violent, but more divided Iraq. The necessary political reconciliation never came.  

Now it would appear that the civil war between the dominant Shiite factions has flared up again between Prime Minister Maliki’s Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) and the Mahdi Army led by Muqtada El-Sadr.

It’s easy to fall into the comfortable trap of wanting desperately to believe that this is a struggle between good guys and bad guys, that the “good and noble” Iraqi army is waging a battle against the “evil” criminal gangs and terrorists, but rarely are events in Iraq so clear-cut.

This is a vicious, bloody power struggle being waged by equally ruthless opponents for control of Iraq. This is civil war.

No doubt, the Iraqi government has been planning this offensive for a while. I suspect that Admiral Fallon knew about this, and it may’ve had something to do with his departure.

The question is, does this operation signal a new strategy for the coalition forces in Iraq, and if so will the latest escalation in violence be used as an excuse to go after Iran?

It is time for us to recognize that we cannot promote “freedom and democracy” while engaging in a policy of preemptive war and occupation.  

A modern functioning democracy depends upon having a well educated electorate, relative peace and security, and a complex, functioning physical and social infrastructure.  Every invasion, every terrorist attack, and every military offensive effectively destroys these elements. 

War makes it more likely that brutal tyrants will be able to exploit the fear and ignorance of the war zone for their own purposes, and play upon the baser instincts of tribalism and the sheer will to survive at any cost.

This is what the terrorists count on, and our current policy only empowers them by creating further instability that only undermines the cause of true freedom and equality.

The only way out of the mess we’ve created in Iraq is to pursue a genuine political reconciliation with a comprehensive solution that engages all the players fom all sides in the region. 

It is time to recognize that every nation has the right to defend its people, and every free people has the right to defend themselves against occupation.

It is time for us to realize that we can no longer afford to choose sides in senseless bloody conflicts between equally ruthless and vicious opponents because one side or the other serves our interests at the moment.

It is time for America to regain its moral leadership in the world by recognizing that the fundamental principles of “liberty and justice for all” apply not just to those who serve some political interests, but to all people around the world equally. 

This is true American leadership. This is the America that the rest of the world has always looked up to.   

It’s time to stop depending exclusively on the force of arms, or the wealth of our economy as the basis of our superiority, and to start standing up again for the values that have forged and united this nation. 

It is time to put aside the divisive, counterproductive, and ultimately self-defeating strategy of an endless “war on terror” and reassert America’s greatest strength: the courage of our convictions, and the humility of purpose that comes from recognizing “all men are created equal.”

It is time for a change…