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By U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), International Relations Committee)
This country is in desperate need of a real dialogue on the future of our involvement in Iraq.
As events in Iraq contribute to a deepening sense of frustration and anxiety across the country, some in Congress have begun calling for a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. While I am distressed by the mounting casualties and lack of tangible progress on the ground in Iraq, I believe that retreat is neither a responsible nor practical course of action. The consequences would be catastrophic. If the United States were to cut and run from Iraq, we would send a message of weakness that would embolden our terrorist enemies across the globe. A failed Iraq would destabilize the entire region and undermine U.S. national security for decades to come.
We must, however, face the hard truth: our current strategy is not working. Our troops continue to pay the price for the failure to plan for the post-invasion phase of the Iraq conflict. Equally troubling is the growing gap between the Bush Administration's rhetoric and the reality on the ground. There have now been over 1720 Americans killed and more than 12,000 wounded in Iraq. The situation is worsening, and there is no apparent plan for victory.
In addition, American taxpayers continue to bear 90 percent of the financial burden of this effort - over $300 billion and counting - to the detriment of our domestic needs and fiscal health. The deepening quagmire in Iraq has stretched our forces to the breaking point as other serious threats emerge across the globe.
It is urgent, therefore, that we change course and implement a real success strategy for Iraq immediately. At every turn, I have fought along with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that our troops have the tools they need to succeed. The current mess, however, is not the result of any failure on the part of our brave men and women in uniform. It is the product of a willful blindness on the part of an arrogant administration that consistently fails to acknowledge the reality on the ground. The time has come to conduct a sober reassessment of our strategy.
Our goal must be to convince the people of Iraq that our objective is to help them build the strong, prosperous and independent country they desire. To achieve this, the new Iraqi government must have the resources necessary to finance a greater share of the effort to secure and rebuild their country.
Unfortunately, the U.S. has not succeeded in empowering Iraq to utilize its vast oil resources to help fund reconstruction and security efforts. A critical step to rectifying this problem is ending the rampant corruption and thievery that currently plagues the Iraqi oil industry. Vast sums of Iraq's awesome natural resources are being stolen by corrupt government officials and criminal elements. Coalition forces must take aggressive action to expose and stamp out this corruption, and to help the Iraqi government return oil revenues to their rightful owners - the people of Iraq. This is a matter of the highest priority, and it is unlikely that our broader efforts to defeat the insurgency and rebuild Iraq will succeed over the long-term if we are unable to accomplish it.
The Iraqi government should then reserve major oil fields to be designated as collateral for new loans. These loans, to be secured from an international monetary organization, would be repaid by the government of Iraq at a later date. The Iraqi government could use these newly acquired funds to finance a broader international security force to assist the U.S. military and the U.S. treasury in shouldering the enormous burden in Iraq.
Financial incentives alone, however, may not be sufficient to coax the international community to the table. We must also fundamentally re-evaluate our strategy for defeating the insurgency and demonstrate real progress to that end. This means ensuring that coalition forces are given the tools and instruction they need to effectively combat insurgents. Many of our reserve and regular army forces in Iraq have not been adequately prepared for this task. British forces - who are well-schooled in the arena of counter-insurgent tactics - could play a central role in this intensified training.
Coupled with a robust new counter-insurgency effort, tapping the valuable natural resources of Iraq will serve as a strong incentive to encourage long-overdue international engagement. These international forces could then help Iraqis accomplish the following goals that our current policy has failed to achieve:
· Secure Iraq's Borders. There will be no significant progress in Iraq unless the flow of foreign fighters into the country is stopped.
· Effectively Police the Streets. Iraqis need to feel secure in their homes and neighborhoods before they will stand up to insurgents.
· Build a Standing Army. Iraq must make greater progress towards developing a force capable of taking over security operations currently being conducted by U.S. forces.
· Secure Economic Development Zones. The Iraqi Government should focus economic development efforts in more stable regions of Iraq: the Shia southeast and Kurdish north. These projects could then serve as blueprints for expanding security and economic opportunity to other parts of the country.
· Rebuild Infrastructure. The redevelopment of Iraq’s utility, transportation and educational systems will be vital for long-term stability and prosperity.
By funding this renewed security effort, the government and people of Iraq will be taking responsibility for a significant share of their own defense and reconstruction. This will send a powerful message that they - not the United States - are accountable for the future of Iraq. But the United States must continue to stand with them, to provide the capabilities that Iraq does not yet possess.
While there is no simple answer to the staggering challenges facing us in Iraq, the first step must be a constructive public debate. I believe it is time for Democrats and Republicans to step forward with new ideas, and to demand that the Bush administration right the ship. The stakes could not be higher - and time is running out.
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