What We've Gained In 3 Years in Iraq
By U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld
Some have described the situation in Iraq as a tightening noose, noting that "time is
not on our side"and that "morale is down." Others have described a
"very dangerous" turn of events and are "extremely concerned."
Who are they that have expressed these concerns? In fact, these are the exact words of
terrorists discussing Iraq - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his associates - who are describing
their own situation and must be watching with fear the progress that Iraq has made over
the past three years.
The terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will
show that to be the case.
Fortunately, history is not made up of daily headlines, blogs on Web sites
or the latest sensational attack. History is a bigger picture, and it takes some time and
perspective to measure accurately.
Consider that in three years Iraq has gone from enduring a brutal dictatorship to electing
a provisional government to ratifying a new constitution written by Iraqis to electing a
permanent government last December. In each of these elections, the number of voters
participating has increased significantly -- from 8.5 million in the January 2005 election
to nearly 12 million in the December election -- in defiance of terrorists' threats and
attacks.
One of the most important developments over the past year has been the increasing
participation of Iraq's Sunni community in the political process. In the volatile Anbar
province, where Sunnis are an overwhelming majority, voter turnout grew from 2 percent in
January to 86 percent in December. Sunni sheiks and religious leaders who previously had
been sympathetic to the insurgency are today meeting with coalition representatives,
encouraging Iraqis to join the security forces and waging what violent extremists such as
Abu al-Zarqawi and his al-Qaeda followers recognize as a "large-scale war"
against them.
The terrorists are determined to stoke sectarian tension and are attempting to spark a
civil war. But despite the many acts of violence and provocation, the vast majority of
Iraqis have shown that they want their country to remain whole and free of ethnic
conflict. We saw this last month after the attack on the Shiite shrine in Samarra, when
leaders of Iraq's various political parties and religious groups condemned the violence
and called for calm.
Another significant transformation has been in the size, capability and responsibility of
Iraqi security forces. And this is vitally important, because it is Iraqis, after all, who
must build and secure their own nation.
Today, some 100 Iraqi army battalions of several hundred troops each are in the fight, and
49 control their own battle space. About 75 percent of all military operations in the
country include Iraqi security forces, and nearly half of those are independently
Iraqi-planned, Iraqi-conducted and Iraqi-led. Iraqi security forces have a greater ability
than coalition troops to detect a foreign terrorist's accent, identify local suspects and
use force without increasing a feeling of occupation. It was these Iraqi forces -- not
U.S. or coalition troops -- that enforced curfews and contained the violence after the
attack on the Golden Dome Shrine in Samarra. To be sure, violence of various stripes
continues to slow Iraq's progress. But the coalition is doing everything possible to see
this effort succeed and is making adjustments as appropriate.
The rationale for a free and democratic Iraq is as compelling today as it was three years
ago. A free and stable Iraq will not attack its neighbors, will not conspire with
terrorists, will not pay rewards to the families of suicide bombers and will not seek to
kill Americans.
Though there are those who will never be convinced that the cause in Iraq is worth the
costs, anyone looking realistically at the world today -- at the terrorist threat we face
-- can come to only one conclusion: Now is the time for resolve, not retreat.
Consider that if we retreat now, there is every reason to believe Saddamists and
terrorists will fill the vacuum -- and the free world might not have the will to face them
again. Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing
postwar Germany back to the Nazis. It would be as great a disgrace as if we had asked the
liberated nations of Eastern Europe to return to Soviet domination because it was too hard
or too tough or we didn't have the patience to work with them as they built free
countries.
What we need to understand is that the vast majority of the Iraqi people want the
coalition to succeed. They want better futures for themselves and their families. They do
not want the extremists to win. And they are risking their lives every day to secure their
country.
That is well worth remembering on this anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The writer is secretary of defense.
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