Behaving Like A Superpower in Iraq

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One critical dilemma we confront in Iraq is the burden of our status as the Superpower. All people in the region--Sunnis, Shia, Kurds, and Persians--assume that we have a secret plan that we are pursuing unilaterally. The majority of these folks cannot accept that the sectarian violence unleashed in Iraq is a consequence of U.S. incompetence. They assume that the rising sectarian violence is something we want because we are a Superpower. By virtue of our status as a Superpower it is inconceivable that we would allow such violence unless it suited our "hidden" purposes.

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The bottomline for us is that our use of military force is not going to win us the hearts and minds of the various Iraqi sects. Our current tactics are aggravating longstanding grudges and vendettas and creating new enemies in the process.

The neocons, and their ilk, continue to rattle sabers and beat their chest like an impotent gorilla. But their threats are empty. They are not pressing their sons and daughters to enlist in their "glorious 21st century" crusade. They want to stay safe at home in the United States and encourage the sons and daughters of other folks to make this ultimate sacrifice.

The choices we make in the coming months will help determine whether or not we are worthy of the moniker, "Superpower". We cannot quell the sectarian civil war overnight. But, we must try to show that we can improve the delivery of public services to the Iraqi people on a non-sectarian basis. If we can do that we can help erase the impression that our hidden plan is to humiliate and occupy the Arab people. Otherwise we will continue to be caught in the middle of a civil war that we are unable stop. That's not super.

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/nov/13/behaving_like_a_superpower_in_iraq