- by Alan Adaschik

We will not prevail in Iraq because the war there is ill-conceived and immoral for one reason and one reason alone; we started it. To be sure, there are those who would argue that 9-11 and our war on terrorism justify our invasion, but this is not true and the known facts belie this position.

The only morally justifiable reason to invade Iraq was to depose Saddam Hussein; a tyrant and murderer. However, while this motive is commendable, actually invading for such a purpose is not just foolish, but stupid. This is especially true in consideration of the realities that exist in the Arab world. The truth of the matter is that to not foresee the inevitable blood bath that would follow our invasion, is the biggest blunder in the history of this Nation.

Our prime goal is to fight terrorism. Terrorism is a deplorable vicious act performed by frustrated and desperate criminals for political purposes. Therefore, to fight and defeat terrorism we must, above all things, remove every possible justification for terrorist acts. By doing this, committing acts of terrorism will be confined to an extremist minority who can be dealt with as criminals hiding within an unsympathetic population.

Was this our approach to fighting terrorism? No, instead, we elected to invade an Arab nation and not just any Arab nation. We invaded one with no ties to terrorism. While this was great fodder for a Nation smarting from the horrible aftermath of 9-11, did our leadership ever stop to think what affect such an invasion would have upon moderate Arabs? Would it make them sympathetic to us or to the terrorists? Did our leaders ever stop to think what effect the inevitable collateral damage of a conventional war would have upon the people of Iraq, especially when that collateral damage included their homes, business, friends, family, and loved ones.

In Iraq, no matter how well intended our actions and no matter how we kid ourselves into thinking that we are justified in being there, the truth of the matter is that we are invaders using warfare to impose our will upon a foreign nation. As such, not only do we have no moral authority for our actions, but have unwittingly and foolishly passed this moral authority over to the terrorists of the world. Aggravating this blunder, every time we act to “fight terrorism” or defend ourselves, the resulting collateral damage ensures that the moral authority we surrendered continues to work against us.

We think we have God on our side in Iraq. However, those we fight there are convinced they have God on their side. Our invasion and now, more so, our prosecution of this war, helps terrorists convince others that God is on their side. This being the case, time is also on their side and not ours.