Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran

To The Editor:
I am glad Saddam’s gone. Ditto for bin-Laden and American-born al-Qaeda operative al-Awlaki, though lack of due process in the latter’s execution-by-drone still has constitutionalists and civil libertarians churned up. Say what you will, the leaders of radical Islamist groups seem to understand our judicial system well and play it to their advantage. And the questions remain whether at least foreign, non-U.S. terrorists be afforded the same slow, careful justice as American citizens. To some that in itself seems an injustice to the American people who are radicals’ targets. But to others, everyone is entitled to due process and if in pursuit of such a policy a few terrorists are successful or escape justice…well that’s just the cost of our freedoms.
Nothing destroys an American’s freedom like being dead at the hands of fanatical Islamic radicals who have no compunction about killing a fellow Muslims for not accepting their brand of “the road to paradise.”
At the start of the actions which brought us to where we are our reasoning seemed rational — at least for our retaliatory one against al-Qaeda and their Taliban protector pals. Then there’s Iraq. Despite the no WMDs, egg on the faces of the world intelligence community, getting rid of Saddam was one positive result though backfilling of the power vacuum there is still frothing.
Of all the goofs our “defense” structure has made, including the commander-in-chief, telling the bad guys when we plan to bug out of Iraq and Afghanistan, is seen by some to be wrong-headed. They’ll just wait us out and return to both places like a persistent cancer. And I have no doubt that’s exactly what will happen with Iran’s help in both countries. But these mad hatters of Islam’s extremist minority are patient. Waiting us out was always part of their game. We just gave them some idea of how long a wait they would have.
As one who grew up in World War II and recalls the Marshall Plan for Europe, and how Japan bounced back, becoming a world economic power, I have no illusions that such a thing is possible in either Iraq or, especially, Afghanistan. In the former literate and educated society, there festers sectarian hatred, centuries old (fostered by Iran), which defies our attempts to “create” a new democratic entity. In Afghanistan there’s a largely illiterate, uneducated, populace with a corrupt government at its core. Once we leave, the Taliban will swoop in and resume their horrid oppression. And Pakistan, which harbors both al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives, will be of little help.
Despite my original support of our actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps it’s time to say goodbye and certainly forget all this nation-building stuff. Maybe what we’ll have to do is continue to improve protecting American interests at home and abroad. At home, at least, we have some decisions to make regarding the civil liberties issue. On Iran: They seem to get away with their support of terrorists for now. But the one thing we can’t allow them to do is become viable as owners of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. For they will, unlike nuclear powers since WWII, have no hesitation to use them. The radical mullahs who run Iran no doubt have the “end of days” pathway to “paradise” somewhere in their thoughts, which makes them exceedingly dangerous. Will WWIII boil out of the Middle East pot? Hope not. It could happen. Whomever the commander-in-chief will be going forward may have some perilous decisions to make. Sooner than later.
ROBERT LOVELL
Court House
Court House