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Fouad Ajami - The Tipping Point
Beyond Americaâs borders, we should realize, people now await our failure in Iraq. Few really believe that Iraq could be the showcase of American political engineering. Fewer still think that this war in Iraqâs Arab and Islamic neighborhood will yield a "reform dividend" and that the undemocratic habits of the Arabs will be changed by the kind of model we create in Iraq. Our enemies in the region, who had been seized with panic at the display of our military might, have drawn comfort from our recent troubles in the alleyways of Tikrit and Fallujah. Cunning men as they are, the rulers in Arab lands had hunkered down, waited out the first blow, and hoped to be spared....Our deliverance lies in Iraq itself; there is no end run we can do around its people. Sooner or later, we and they will discover the truth of Iraq: whether the country holds together and whether Iraqis can surmount their cruel and tragic past. If we grant them our trust, we will have acquitted ourselves well. We will have set the stage for an early and honorable withdrawal and left something on the ground to point to with pride. Or, in the worst of circumstances, we will have shown that the thing was a noble failure, that we have no apologies for the hopes we brought along with the gear into a place that eluded the best of our intentions.Posted by: just one voice 2003-10-12 |
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