There is no shortage of those who consider President Bush’s invasion of Iraq the most incredible blunder in modern history – but the Kurds of northern Iraq are not among them.
After seeing President Bush’s recent interview with Charles Gibson of ABC News, Butan Amedi of Iraqi Kurdistan’s Kurdish Media felt moved to write this op-ed in which he defends President Bush – albeit with some criticism of the post-war handling of the country.
“Perhaps one of the Bush Administration’s most courageous decisions was the removal of Saddam Hussein. Despite opposition from the United Nations, the U.S. freed a terrorized country from the grips of one of the most dangerous men in the world. In a matter of weeks, the U.S. Army was able to remove Saddam from power, an operation that sent a clear signal to other dictators in the region that they, too, could face a similar fate. The intelligence was wrong, and Saddam didn’t have stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. But nevertheless, Saddam’s regime needed to be removed. He was an oppressive and brutal dictator, unwilling to cooperate with the international community and a threat to the free world.”
Then, referring to Washington’s post Saddam handling of the country, Amedi writes:
“Those mistakes were costly, weakened America’s image around the world and comforted regional dictators. While Saddam’s regime was successfully removed, the Bush Administration’s failed post-war management handed power to theocratic, tribal, and dictatorial parties that sponsor militia armies – some which are ideologically unfriendly to the West.”
Amedi then goes on to blame Iraqis for blowing a golden opportunity by electing a government headed toward becoming a pro-Iran Shiite theocracy.
By Butan Amedi
December 12, 2008
Iraqi Kurdistan, Kurdish Media – Original Article (English)
The costly decisions made in 2003 after the war in Iraq began are no longer subjects of debate. What matters now is the Status of the Forces Agreement (SOFA), a pact between The United States and Iraq, which restricts the powers of the U.S. military and requires America to end its military presence in the country in 2011. But mention should be made of the interview of the Bushes by ABC’s Charles Gibson [see video below], which touched upon the post-war situation, when President Bush stated his regrets over the failure of intelligence in regard to Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction.
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