Guest Column: Their success, our security: the view from Iraq

Posted: Wednesday, November 12, 2003

It was a whirlwind trip to what has been called the "central front in the war on terrorism."

The chairman of the Armed Services Committee asked me to lead a delegation of nine members of Congress to Iraq.

The members were from all across the country and of both parties. We started with somewhat different views on what we should be doing in Iraq, but we came away with a clearer understanding of the situation in Iraq and of the challenges ahead. In the end we left Iraq more in agreement than disagreement, especially in three key areas.

First, we were awed by the incredible job our military men and women are doing, not just in providing security and hunting down terrorists, but in helping the people of Iraq get back on their feet after decades of brutal plunder and abuse. Our military could not possibly train our people for the many jobs they are now being asked to do, but they are doing them and doing them well. It is a testament to the quality and the character of those who have volunteered to serve our nation in the military.

However, we should not sugarcoat the difficulties they face. We still have not given all our soldiers newer protective vests. We still do not have enough armored vehicles available for our troops. Every day they face the danger posed by homemade bombs placed on the side of the road that are used to harm our soldiers and blow up our vehicles.

The attacks against our forces have grown more sophisticated recently as more terrorists infiltrate Iraq to hurt us and to stir up local resentment. But, in spite of it all, the morale of our troops is high and their determination is unshaken.

Second, each member of Congress came away more optimistic that the people of Iraq can form a stable, free country. There are already numerous examples of cooperative efforts by the Iraqi people to build a secure democracy. They face enormous difficulties with the different religious sects and the influence of foreign terrorists, who are trying to prevent them from succeeding, but there are signs of hope.

At a school for girls, which Americans helped rebuild, we were surprised to learn that Sunni and Shia girls lived in the same neighborhood and went to school together. In the north, we met with the governor of Mosul, who is an Arab, and the vice governor, who is a Kurd. They are working side by side every day, making local government function.

Iraq is a country of enormous potential. Its people are smart and hard working and it has the second largest oil reserves in the world, but it has been oppressed by a dictatorship of unimaginable cruelty for more than two decades - twice as long as Hitler ruled Germany. Saddam Hussein used Iraq's wealth to build himself palaces and equip his army while neglecting the country's basic infrastructure needs.

The Iraqi people need help getting on their feet, and it will take some time. But if we can help them through this initial step, they have the resources - natural and human - to make a stable, successful country.

President Bush has asked Congress to approve about $20 billion to begin the reconstruction. Rebuilding Iraq will require much more than that, but if the Iraqis can get on their feet economically and politically, they have the resources to pay for their own improvements. Insisting that they repay the $20 billion in start-up costs will make it harder for their economy to get moving, just as it did with Germany after World War I, which contributed to Hitler's subsequent rise to power. Our security depends on the Iraqis' future, and we need to give them every chance to succeed.

Third, all nine of us came away from Iraq more certain than ever that what is really at stake in Iraq is our own security. We know that Saddam's regime had ties with terrorist groups. While we were in Baghdad, Osama bin Laden issued another call for terrorists to come to Iraq and attack Americans and the Iraqis who are cooperating with us. Whether from outside Iraq or from within, terrorism must not prevail.

Ultimately, if Iraqis can establish a stable country with some form of representative government and a market economy that provides jobs and hope for its people, there will be fewer terrorists. If we can help the Iraqis give the Arab world a promising example to follow, we will be safer and the world will be more secure.

We must succeed - too much is at stake.

Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, is U.S. representative for District 13. He was first elected to Congress in 1994 and is now serving his fifth term.