Opinion | Columnists
Iraq is an alarming issue for the US
The Bush administration is at the receiving end due to the mounting war cost.
- By Mohammad Akef Jamal, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 January 23, 2006
There is a big difference between what is expected and what is really taking place on the ground. This is because someone should not count his chickens before they are hatched. And, this is best exemplified by what is happening with the US in Iraq.
The American occupation of Iraq will complete its third year after two months amidst an atmosphere of pessimism and disappointment at the poor US achievements. Yet, the administration of President George W. Bush is now facing growing public pressure, setting alarm bells in Washington.
Americans have begun stepping up their pressure and expressing their serious concern over the rise in the size of losses and the costly war in Iraq and its impact on the US economy.
The monthly cost of the war in Iraq is approximately $4.5 billion (Dh16.5 billion), according to American sources. The total cost of the war is likely to exceed $2 trillion (Dh7.34 trillion) according to a study conducted by a Nobel Prize-winning economist and a Harvard budget expert.
The study on the real cost of the war, conducted by Joseph Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor who won the Nobel Prize for economics in 2001, and Linda Bilmes, a Harvard University researcher and budget expert, is likely to add more pressure on the White House.
For more than two years, since the occupation of Iraq, rivers of blood have flown in the streets of all Iraqi cities and more blood will be shed in the upcoming days, as expected by everyone including the American president. In the light of this deteriorating situation in Iraq, Bush invited current and former secretaries of state and defence for a meeting on Iraq.
Exchange of views
On January 5, Bush gathered with over a dozen Republican and Democratic foreign policy leaders from previous administrations to exchange with them views on Iraq and throw more light on the US achievements. The meeting between Bush and former secretaries was gloomy.
Among those secretaries was Robert McNamara who was the secretary of defence during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
The 89-year-old politician, who later worked with president Lyndon Johnson, came to the meeting with his sad memories of the years of fear the US forces lived with in Vietnam.
In his brief remarks, Bush said: "Not all those attending the meeting supported my decision on the invasion of Iraq, but I understand that. I gave them the opportunity to express their concerns and offer their suggestions, promising to take their advice seriously."
The meeting aimed at updating the situation in Iraq. The update was given by General George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador in Baghdad. None of them were proud of what has been achieved after almost three years of occupation.
In the military arena, despite the presence of more than 160,000 US troops and more than 250,000 members of the Iraqi police and the National Guard, security has become merely like an unachievable dream.
Regarding the political arena, the latest Iraqi elections, for the second time in a year, have helped some political elite to reach the decision-making centres. These elite are supported by a huge crowd of ordinary Iraqis and are not connected to the US and have no mutual interests with it at all.
None of the speakers during the meeting bothered to address the problems of Iraqis, which resulted from the US occupation.
The question is: What are the potential reasons behind such an unconventional gathering? Certainly, exchange of views between the veteran politicians from both parties was not the issue, but was only one of the meeting's goals.
There are many reasons behind the meeting, the most important of which is the conviction of the US administration that its military troops will stay in Iraq for a long time and that it is necessary to persuade American public opinion to accept it. This is why Bush had invited former politicians and prominent figures.
It became very clear that the White House's hope was that the prominent figures many of whom have publicly opposed Bush on war would be persuaded by the president's argument that he has what he called a "dual-track strategy for victory" and they would then spread the word to influence American public opinion.
The second reason is to save face, particularly when the dossiers of two countries are to be added to the Iraqi dossier. With Iran and Syria becoming the new targets of the US administration, it is necessary for Washington to perceive stands of influential political figures from outside Congress.
The third reason is the preparations for the Congress' elections, which will take place in November 2006.
The influence of these veteran politicians on the American public opinion topped the list of reasons for holding such a meeting.
Dr Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.
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