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The Task of Rebuilding Iraq
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by
Tim Erickson:
President of Politalk
25/04/2003 |
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In
her recent Transatlantic Visions commentary, Nicole Schley
suggested that the rebuilding of Iraq poses an opportunity
to start rebuilding the transatlantic relationship. "But"
she asks, "do the two partners want that?"
This is an interesting question, because while it would make
sense on many fronts, it seems as if many in Europe are secretly
hoping that the US will get bogged down in a quagmire of Iraqi
unrest and regional tensions. Proving their own arguments
about why this war was a bad idea. On the other hand, many
in the US feel that to give Germany or France any kind of
economic or political role in the rebuilding of Iraq, would
be to reward them for their stubborn refusal to participate
in the war itself.
Yet, each country does have a real and vested interest in
making this a "coalition" effort, in the true sense of the
word.
First of all, the security issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction
is a real one. Its also a much bigger issue than Iraq or Saddam
Hussein. If the US is serious about addressing the issue of
terrorism or weapons of mass destruction (which is not yet
clear), then the work is not yet done and will extend beyond
the borders of Iraq. While we have been successful so far
(at least in our own minds), with the cooperation of Great
Britain, Australia, and a few other partners, there is much
work left to be done and US/UK resources have their limits.
Europe on the other hand, will need US cooperation if they
wish to restore trust in the international institutions that
they believe so strongly provide peaceful opportunities to
resolve conflicts. The UN and NATO emerge from the war in
Iraq as weakened institutions. The US suggested that it was
fighting the war on behalf of the United Nations, now its
time that the United States sit down at the table and work
to strengthen and reform the United Nations, rather than just
complain about its lack of effectiveness. It will take European
leadership to make this possible.
If we allow our frustration about earlier disagreements to
hinder future efforts towards sincere and real multilateral
cooperation, then much of what may have been accomplished
will become moot. The US must emerge from our unilateral shell
and recognize how big this problem is and that solving it
will require more than just dropping bombs and overthrowing
one or two dictators. Some very fundamental economic and political
issues around the world must be addressed before the problem
of terrorism will go away. This must become a multilateral
effort at some point.
Europeans, for their part, must also recognize the security
threat that does exist and convince the United States that
they are serious partners in addressing it. I believe that
the United States has a very real concern that Europe does
not comprehend the dangers that lie before us and are therefore
not dependable partners in dealing with it.
From my perspective, the US has not been sincere in its efforts
to form a real international coalition and Europe has yet
to show a sincere interest in the issue of weapons of mass
destruction. A cooperative effort in rebuilding Iraq would
move a long way in each direction.
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