Donald Rumsfeld was on “Meet The Press” this past Sunday and said something I thought was similarly disconnected from the situation.
“Zarqawi is a Jordanian, he’s a foreigner. They’re killing Iraqi people and they’re opposing an elected Iraqi government. That isn’t any long-term formula for success.”
This quote shows that the Secretary of Defense does not appreciate the deep religious undercurrent that runs through that region of the world. Also, it seems, at least at that moment, Rumsfeld was not aware of the historical development of the region. The countries that we know as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran were largely carved by Western colonial powers. This is why there is such division between the Kurds, the Sunnis and the Shiites. They were thrown together arbitrarily by outside forces.
Rumsfeld’s comment would be fine in a world where the Iraqis all share a common interpretation of religion and their common history was only as long as they Saddam reign. However, the real world is different. Many people favor Zarqawi because his belief system is more similar to them than the Kurd who lives in the north or the Baathist next door to him. Rumsfeld shows, yet again, that not understanding people can lead to improper assumptions on how to handle a problem. The solution to Iraq rests not with simply killing all of the enemies but hampering their recruitment base by providing real alternatives for these young men who would commit suicide. And that comes from understanding history.
As you watch President Bush’s address tonight, listen for his understanding and then watch for his actions. More than just platitudes and sunny words are needed now.
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