Iraqi Recommendations for the Incoming Administration

One unique aspect of DC is the plethora of organizations, universities, think tanks, and government offices in the city that are always hosting public events on a variety of pertinent topics.  This is one of my favorite things about this city!  Last Friday, I attended an event hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) entitled "Iraqi Recommendations for the Incoming Administration."  

USIP hosted two panels of Iraqi government officials and academics to give recommendations to the new presidential administration regarding policy toward Iraq.  It was enlightening to hear them share their visions for the future of their country, and their ideas about the role the United States has to play.  We hear so much about Iraq, what we should be doing there, how long we should stay, and whether we should have gone in the first place.  But I couldn't help thinking that these are the people we should be listening to.

I came away with a few impressions.  One, I now question whether pulling out of Iraq in 16 months according to Barack Obama's plan is really the best thing for the country.  When asked what they thought of the plan, nearly all of the panelists responded that it would be disastrous for Iraq.  Now, I was never a supporter of this war, and I think it's even more clear now that we never should have gone in the first place; but I do think that we now have a responsibility to help rebuild a nation we have helped destroy.  I don't know what that looks like exactly, but I don't think that pulling out and washing our hands of Iraq is a responsible option.

Second, that the U.S. can play a role in supporting the development of democratic institutions in Iraq, but that we should not impose our concept of democracy on a nation with a completely different cultural context and content than ours, specifically through the implementation of benchmarks.  One of the panelists pointed out that if the French had made their support of the American Revolution contingent upon the end of slavery, equal rights for women, and civil rights, we would still be colonies of Britain.  Because those things took us 200 years to achieve after our independence.  We cannot expect Iraq to deal with foundational issues of its development on an American timeline.

Finally, I left the event convinced that Iraq is going to be part of U.S. foreign policy for a very very long time.  We are now inextricably bound up with its future.  And considering the issues and problems the nation faces (dealing with corruption, resolving deeply rooted ethnic & religious conflict, building infrastructure, developing institutions, strengthening the rule of law), it undoubtedly is going to take a very long time for a healed and healthy Iraq to emerge.  I fear until now the United States has been a largely destructive force in that process; I pray in the future it can be a positive one.