The case against US military intervention in Iraq

The case against US military intervention in Iraq

June 17, 2014
by Brian4Liberty

(RPF) - Should the US send military forces into Iraq to defend the Shiite government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki? Should US air strikes be used once again in Iraq? The usual chorus of pro-war politicians and pundits would say “yes“. This comes as no surprise. No matter how many times they are wrong, or how much innocent blood is spilled, or how often they change sides, the screeching of Lindsey Graham and friends is always the same. They want a US military solution to the problems that they contrive, and they want it now.

The call for military invention is always being made, and just as reliably, the question of how to pay for these misadventures is avoided. More debt is the inevitable result, which will further drag the US economy down and hang over the heads of future generations of Americans. Policing the world is expensive, but money is no object when it‘s spent to further their agenda.

Additionally, the question of Presidential authority is often overlooked at the same time. The long-term and expansive use of military force requires the authorization of Congress. Are there any limits on Executive power anymore? Apparently not, as the Congress has taken no action to limit Executive fiat.



What is the situation in Iraq today?

The emergency presented to the American public today is one of Sunni extremists taking over northern Iraq, ruining the best laid plans of the nation builders, and demonstrating that democracy can not be forced upon others.

If peace can not be achieved through brute force, and almost two trillion US dollars can not buy a civil and stable nation, what will work? Perhaps the people in Iraq need to work to find their own solution, one which they will value because it comes from them.

There is no doubt that the outside extremists who have flowed into northern Iraq are brutal and dangerous. Much of the Sunni population in northern Iraq was receptive to this invasion, as it removed the oppression of the Shiite dominated government of Nuri al-Maliki. But in the aftermath of this “liberation”, will the population of northern Iraq realize that they have exchanged one form of domination with a far worse oppression?

How many Sunnis in northern Iraq want a repressive, extremist, intolerant and brutal form of government? The new masters will be worse than the old ones, and the truth will quickly become apparent.

This is their opportunity. This is the chance for the people of northern Iraq to stand up for themselves, to build something with their own sweat and blood, to create something that they value, and to avoid the domination of the new and brutal interlopers. The US can not make people stand on their own, either with handouts or with force.

What could prevent the Iraqis from standing on their own?

The answer should be obvious. To prevent the average people in northern Iraq from developing a self-reliant and stable society, an outside force could attack and actually strengthen the hand of the new “conquerors”. Nothing would help the ISIS extremists more than a military attack from the US or from a US and Iranian backed Shiite government. Instead of seeing the ISIS invaders for what they are, they would rally together to stop the attacks from outside.

There is no US military option which will win the hearts and minds of northern Iraq. US strikes would only fuel the extremism, and put more power in the hands of ISIS. Instead of a natural process which would find the average people pushing back, and creating a more civil society, outside military strikes would empower the radicals.

We can not continue to throw good money after bad, and to engage in activities that are counter-productive. It’s time for the people of northern Iraq to take care of themselves. And likewise, it is time for the mainly Shiite population in the south to stand up and defend themselves. Either Nuri al-Maliki or some new leader must draw a line, and stop the northern offensive from the ISIS extremists.

The US can not give other nations their dignity and freedom. They must become self-reliant. No amount of outside force, US debt, or taxpayer money will change that basic fact.