When there was talk of opening a third engagement in the sector — Libya — much of America understandably balked. Instead of going in — again — aren’t we thinking instead about the clock striking “come home”? The public understands America as the arsenal of democracy in a volatile world around us, but also understands the reality that we can’t be everywhere; we can’t do everything.
Yes — establishing a “No Fly” zone over Libya under the auspices of NATO was a reasoned, understandable response. If Western allies had continued to sit around jawboning the issue, after a few weeks, someone would have pointed out: “All of the rebels in Libya are dead. All of their families are dead. Moammar Gadhafi is still in power. Maybe we should have done something.”
That something — with normally passive France leading the way — may have produced a stalemate in the sand. But you have to wonder if this, after all, marks the beginning of the end for the Gadhafi regime.
It’s tragic that things have been so utterly chaotic in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In Afghanistan, the United States liberated at least half the country — the women — from the yoke of the Taliban. In Iraq, the U.S. ousted a tyrant in Saddam Hussein who ruthlessly subjugated his populace and was a destabilizing influence in the region.
Yet 10 years later, the battle is still joined. That’s more than twice as long as the U.S. involvement in World War II. It’s true that democracy does not come easily to people without such a heritage. But it’s still a sad reality that you can pick up a copy of “USA Today” any day of the week and read about the latest U.S. military deaths in the region.
We made a good faith — no, a great faith — effort to help, and we’re still being shot at routinely. Liberators seen as occupiers — an unfair and unfortunate predicament. “A war on Islam.” Nonsense. “A war for oil.” More nonsense.
Iraq is winding down, but Afghanistan continues to blow up. Commanders have said, “We need just a few more months to stabilize the situation.” If that’s the case, so be it. But the American public does not want to hear, “Just a few more months ...” as an ongoing refrain.
In the meantime, thousands of families hope not to see military officers approach their doors with heartbreaking news about their loved ones giving their “last full measure of devotion” on behalf of their country.
Yet those of us who remember the Vietnam War can’t help but be heartened by today’s general public view of the Armed Services.
The U.S. military is respected, not condemned, as it was in Vietnam. Servicemen are saluted and thanked, not spat upon. It never made sense in the Vietnam era that soldiers were treated so poorly, especially considering the fact that most had little choice — they were being drafted. Somehow, soldiers got caught in the anti-war crossfire.
And, when leaders discuss the current situation in the Middle East, no one is sacrificing good lives after good lives by saying, “If we withdraw, those soldiers will have died in vain.”
Coalition forces have engaged for a decade, battling to make a difference. In many areas, we have. At some point, though, the people of Iraq and Afghanistan have to want to make it work for themselves. We’ll help — but stop shooting at each other, and at us.
Today, Osama bin Laden is dead in a lightning strike that once again underlined the can-do capacity of the United States. In the ongoing War on Terror, it’s an appropriate outcome. This Mark Twain quote has surfaced as a fair assessment of the drama: “I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.”
And it leaves the question ... now what? History will beget interesting analysis of the raid on bin Laden. (Can you imagine watching it all unfold from the Situation Room?) But for the present, terrorism, jihad, al-Qaida, the Taliban — they’re not going away. Irrational hatred of “the infidels” has not been eliminated.
Twenty years ago, Iraq’s Hussein invaded Kuwait and struck a match to the powder keg. He has since been defeated, captured, tried and hung. Ten years ago, bin Laden masterminded the worst terror attack in history. After a decade of taunting the West, he’s at the bottom of the sea.
How do you write the coda for all of that? Maybe that it’s time to come home today — at least, until the next time, at some future tomorrow. America has its critics but, to the world, we are still the default beacon of freedom.
Dirk Q. Allen is a former opinion page editor and managing editor of the JournalNews. He lives in Oxford.