by Sean Misko
Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania State U.)
(U-WIRE) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Far from the scripted “shock and awe” promised by military planners, the first official shots of the U.S.-led war with Iraq were brief and took many experts by surprise.
In rapidly adapting its war plans, the Bush administration has signaled its resolve to capture or kill Saddam Hussein. But just as intelligence experts are having difficulty determining whether Saddam has survived the “decapitation attack,” the larger challenge of rebuilding Iraq and restoring peace to a troubled region of the world looms large.
Despite these challenges and many other intangible factors, one thing remains clear: How the American public, the world and especially the Iraqi people perceive U.S. actions over the coming days will play an essential role, along with the use of decisive military force, in assuring an American victory.
For months, government officials have assured the American people that in any war with Iraq, the United States will be the guaranteed victor. Over the next few days, the U.S. air assets will likely gain rapid control of the skies over Iraq, destroying key government and military targets, while also delivering a blow to the psyche of Hussein’s regime and the Iraqi people.
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Combined with the technological edge of U.S. ground forces, this show of military power may contribute to the surrender of Iraqi conscripts, small groups of which have already reportedly given up their arms. If all goes as planned, Iraqi military commanders will be left with the eventual perception that American victory in inevitable.
The assumption is that as the war progresses, the media will relay back images of liberation and victory. But today, as the eerie sounds of Kuwaiti air raid sirens and images of U.S. soldiers donning chemical protection gear remind us, war comes with great risks.
Should worst-case scenarios of chemical warfare and heavy urban combat in the streets of Baghdad come true, the news images will likely be of dead and injured U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Such images would create a major public relations nightmare for the Pentagon.
Time and again, Saddam has taken advantage of the plentiful anti-American sentiment throughout the Muslim world. In his purported comments the other night, he closed declaring, “Long live jihad and long live Palestine.”
While his statement may seem insignificant to those of us watching at home, to the radical factions targeted in the ongoing war on terror, Saddam’s words reinforce the already dangerous impression that the United States is an invading force bent on occupying and conquering the Islamic world.
Bush’s assertion that “we come to Iraq with respect for its citizens, for their great civilization and for the religious faiths they practice” is well-intentioned. Still, the Bush administration must take larger, more meaningful actions if it is to begin to win over the hearts and minds of the Arab world.
First and foremost, the president must truly commit himself to nation-building in Iraq. Such a commitment means large expenditures of money, long troop deployments and a willingness to remain in Iraq until a stable and effective democracy is established.
Second, the United States should involve the United Nations in any rebuilding efforts in Iraq. By doing so, it will diminish the high financial and political costs of the operation. Additionally, involving U.N. relief agencies will send a message to the world that the United States still values the role international organizations can and must play in resolving global crises.
Finally, a commitment from Bush to work toward an acceptable peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is needed. While such a move would not undermine America’s long-held support for Israel, it would deny extremist groups the opportunity to criticize the United States for ignoring what they perceive to be the continued, unjust suffering of the Palestinian people.
In its diplomatic approach to handling the Iraqi situation, the Bush administration demonstrated just how inept it can be at affecting global perceptions about U.S. policies and intentions. But now that the war with Iraq has begun, it cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. The world knows that America has the military capability to win the war in Iraq.
By being mindful of the perceptions of the many parties affected by this war, the United States can also convincingly win the peace.
