Now that Baghdad has fallen in the blink of an eye, the world is
witness to extraordinary images of Iraqis beating Saddam Hussein
statues with shoes and mothers picking flowers for their American
freedom fighters. Jubilation and exhilaration are the words of the
day. But is vindication one, too?
Supporters of the Bush administration and the war see the
rejoicing of the oppressed Iraqi citizens as a clear indication of
the righteousness of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Forgive me, but I
thought we went to war to rid the world of Hussein’s
connection with terrorism and his stockpile of weapons of mass
destruction (the latter of which we have found none and the former
of which has yet to be proven).
Perhaps the administration thought it more palatable to the
American public to change its focus to liberation midway through
its campaign. It has, after all, improved the president’s
approval rating, as well as strengthened Wall Street.
Do not misunderstand me; I am quite relieved the Iraqi people
will no longer live under the tyrannical fist of “Dictator
Hussein” and that our troops have faced relatively few
casualties. I just didn’t realize Machiavellian principles
were a part of our global, manifest destiny. Can we really fool
ourselves into thinking “the end justifies the means”
is an appropriate rationale for any war? I think not. I for one am
still waiting for the administration’s findings of
Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction before I start picking
flowers.
Of course the ten million barrel”¦err”¦dollar question
is “who’s next?” Will it be that tempestuous Kim
Jong Il? He is quite an annoyance to the administration. Perhaps
Syria will be next. After all, it supports Hussein. It is a
difficult question, because few nations can compete with Iraq
““ a country marginalized by a ruthless dictator with such a
high oil reserve to production ratio in the world.
Iraq was ripe for the picking. Perhaps Syria’s measly half
a million barrels per day and relatively small reserve to
production ratio isn’t enough for the Bush administration.
Perhaps it is. In the end, liberation is a cover for this war
““ let’s not forget that the major beneficiaries are
politicians and corporations.
Sako is a 2001 alumnus. He studied atmospheric, oceanic and
environmental sciences.