The Political Battles to Come After the War

The military part of the Iraq war may soon be over, but the US faces greater struggles ahead. First, the US’s moral high ground is tainted. As the author asserts of the US plan to bring good governance to Iraq, “Killing to promote life is a morally flawed and politically obtuse policy.” Second, its policy of pre-emption, no longer mere rhetoric, sends a grave message to the rest of the Middle East, and perhaps the world: be careful or you could end up like Iraq. But this only serves to increase, rather than lessen, threats to US security. Third, in the imminent future, the diplomatic battles the US must fight will be more like trench fighting than its siege of Baghdad. The writer notes, once “the full implications of what has been happening in Washington and Baghdad” are absorbed, the US will likely confront a world more willing to check its power. – YaleGlobal