Good Intentions Gone Bad - NEWSWEEK's Baghdad chief, a few final thoughts

[TacticalPeek]

Good Intentions Gone Bad

NEWSWEEK's Baghdad bureau chief, departing after two years of war and American occupation, has a few final thoughts.

By Rod Nordland
Newsweek

June 13 issue - Two years ago I went to Iraq as an unabashed believer in toppling Saddam Hussein. I knew his regime well from previous visits; WMDs or no, ridding the world of Saddam would surely be for the best, and America's good intentions would carry the day. What went wrong? A lot, but the biggest turning point was the Abu Ghraib scandal. Since April 2004 the liberation of Iraq has become a desperate exercise in damage control. The abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib alienated a broad swath of the Iraqi public. On top of that, it didn't work. There is no evidence that all the mistreatment and humiliation saved a single American life or led to the capture of any major terrorist, despite claims by the military that the prison produced "actionable intelligence."

snip

The four-square-mile Green Zone, the one place in Baghdad where foreigners are reasonably safe, could be a showcase of American values and abilities. Instead the American enclave is a trash-strewn wasteland of Mad Max-style fortifications. The traffic lights don't work because no one has bothered to fix them. The garbage rarely gets collected. Some of the worst ambassadors in U.S. history are the GIs at the Green Zone's checkpoints. They've repeatedly punched Iraqi ministers, accidentally shot at visiting dignitaries and behave (even on good days) with all the courtesy of nightclub bouncers—to Americans and Iraqis alike. Not that U.S. soldiers in Iraq have much to smile about. They're overworked, much ignored on the home front and widely despised in Iraq, with little to look forward to but the distant end of their tours—and in most cases, another tour soon to follow. Many are reservists who, when they get home, often face the wreckage of careers and family.

I can't say how it will end. Iraq now has an elected government, popular at least among Shiites and Kurds, who give it strong approval ratings. There's even some hope that the Sunni minority will join the constitutional process. Iraqi security forces continue to get better trained and equipped. But Iraqis have such a long way to go, and there are so many ways for things to get even worse. I'm not one of those who think America should pull out immediately. There's no real choice but to stay, probably for many years to come. The question isn't "When will America pull out?"; it's "How bad a mess can we afford to leave behind?" All I can say is this: last one out, please turn on the lights.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8101422/site/newsweek

[napi21]

1. WOW, It's very sad, but I believe this story.

I hope it's in this weeks issue. I don't know how many people read Newsweek, but maybe those who do will spread the word.

[bread_and_roses]

2. In what other universe do the killers of children expect

to be loved by the populace? We were hated - justly -before Abu Ghraib. Does this guy forget we BOMBED CIVILIANS in the invasion of Iraq?

How can he write this total repudiation of every lie this murderous, criminal cabal in the WH tells - and then say, "more of the same?"

[Karenina]

3. A very astute question.

[Roland99]

4. Kick