John McCain was right

Not about everything, but I think he was right about this.  John McCain was military, and was asked about military strategy in Iraq, and he answered from a position of military history.  100 years in Iraq might be required for peace.

Unfortunately, no one wanted to hear it.

When John McCain's comments proved to be so unpopular, he was forced to backtrack.  I remember watching the various news reports and candidates, and the clear "right" narrative for the election started to form.  Namely, run for the border.  Election promises became a race to abandon Iraq and Afghanistan.

I remember wondering if too many people believed the final fight scene from the Karate Kid.  I mean, one lucky kick to the face of a guy who jumps back up, the ref declares the winner, Daniel gets the girl and the trophy and his bully tells him, "You're alright!"  Great.  Kick someone in the face and you have sex appeal and made friends of your enemies.  One kick in the teeth can bring the whole world together and make everything right again.  Who says violence isn't the answer?

Kick an attacker in the face once to make everything better - versus outside of the ring.  Someone phones 911 wanting an attacker stopped.  Police subdue them.  Courts try them.  Sentencing happens, incarceration happens, rehabilitation is attempted.  Many hours, and many expensive resources committed and maybe failing.

Following the bloodshed in Paris, there is talk about returning to Iraq again.

I'm nobody, and I have little background to draw upon.  I have made this a little simple (so have others who think leaving the refugees to starve or get shot will make the world a better place, or just let the marines leave scorched earth, or just ignore reality a little longer.)

The Soviet war in Afghanistan was lost by the USSR due to CIA manipulation and partnerships.  The USSR withdrew in 1989.  No significant funding or resources to rebuild infrastructure or provide stability in Afghansitan was ever provided by the US, just lots and lots of weapons left in the hands of a people ravaged by war.  The goal was never peace, just an attack on Communism.

Iraq invaded Kuwait in July of 1990.  After extensive multinational talks and following diplomatic channels, George H. Bush's Desert Storm started in January 1991.  By March, the first American troops started to return home.  The brief war was criticized, and Bush Senior did not have two terms as president.  The goal was often portrayed as securing oil for the US, not creating peace.

September 11th 2001 was the USA's second day in infamy, the attack on New York and the Pentagon.  We soon learned this was from a group based in Afghanistan.  By November 2002, the US was invading Iraq again following has become a widely criticized failure of intelligence gathering.  In 2011, the US was leaving the region again with an equipped and trained local military.  By early 2014, ISIL controlled portions of Iraq and by June was invading portions of Syria.  The US did little to stop the advance, largely for a lack of political will.  The attacks in Paris happened only a few days ago.

I do not agree with people pointing out ISIS organized terrorism is the work of a few malcontents. ISIS, while not representative of the larger Muslim population, has become an army and a nation.  They are not a provincial threat; they threaten the world.  Important and once challenging functions of a military like communications and logistics - are now a fact of life.  We are now in a time when a civilian of modest means can be anywhere in the populated world in a day with little difficulty.  Compared to Columbus, who lost nine ships in four voyages, or the dangerous rigors of sea travel in the days of the Vikings, or the months of hardships faced by the pioneers - my last flight to Osaka was very leisurely.  The difficulties involved in launching the Crusades due to logistics and distance have been surpassed by technology - many people travel further for a Thanksgiving or Spring Break weekend.  North America is an easy target, as is Europe.

I do not agree with people who suggest we should not involve ourselves in others affairs will make the situation better and safer.  Ignoring and not investing in the rebuilding of Afghanistan, the rebuilding of Iraq, or the stability of the Middle East has not improved the situation.  Ignoring the situation in Syria has not helped.  Not providing stability for Iraq; backing off after an investment in resources and blood, has not helped the cause of peace.

Blaming the refugee victims has become a popular meme this week.  Even the Premier of Saskatchewan has vowed to protect the frozen empty prairie from any terrorist attack, as if we are a serious target!  While the old joke is you can watch your dog run away for three days, if a militia invaded we might never notice.  

                                                          Not a military target

World War 1 ended on November 11th, 1918.  The Armistice Agreements that followed left Germany in economic hardship, but not sufficiently disarmed.  France and Belgium took control of German industrial territory following a failure to pay reparations in 1923, and they continued to occupy portions of Germany until 1935.  The goals at the time were never to create a lasting peace, but rather to leave Germany wounded.  

In 1939, World War 2 started with Germany again rising to military power.  By 1945, Hitler had suicided and the Reich had fallen.  America and Russia started to carve up Germany.  The US established control of some areas in 1945, and continues to have installations in Germany to this day.  France and Germany are now allies, of each other and the US, after having been at catastrophic war twice in less than a century.  It is a peace inextricably tied to the Cold War and many deaths and hardships.  It was a very costly peace, but a peace none-the-less.  Germany is now a respected ally.  Many years and resources.

North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950, and fighting ended in 1953.  The US maintains a military force in the region.  It is an uneasy peace with much saber rattling and overt hostility, but that is still peace.  Many years and resources that will continue for years to come.

The attack on Pearl Harbour that brought the US into World War 2 happened in 1941.  (Again, ignoring the Germans and Japanese was not a useful strategy in the long term).  Japan surrendered in 1947, and the Allies occupied Japan.  There is still a military presence in Japan, and Japan is now a valued and respected ally.  It is a peace born in the shadow of the atomic bomb but a peace that has grown to be so much more than simple intimidation and violence.  Many years and many resources.

Rome invaded and occupied large portions of Europe for centuries.  It was a bloody peace based on cultural destruction and genocide that gave us politics, roads, formal education, and many other contributions.

If the militaries of the world have to return to Iraq again, don't just commit to blood.  Don't just vote to "blow 'em up real good."  Don't be stupid enough to think a bullet in the eye socket will solve everything. 

If we go back, we need to commit to decades.  We will need to commit to the Middle East until Bagdad is a fun relaxing place, an assignment for a soldier to take his wife and kids along.  We need to commit to peace and stability.  We need to commit to education, and resources, and rebuilding.  We need to commit to huge sums of money, and huge resources.  We need to be willing to never be thanked.  We need to work together with the world, because we are all responsible and vulnerable.  Otherwise, be ready for the fourth Gulf War in a decade.

Creating peace starts with committing to peace, not just committing to payback.