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Liberation for Iraqi people doesn’t end their problems

The streets of Baghdad are in chaos. There are fires, looting and mounds of trash on the streets. Basic needs like medical care, clean water and electricity are not being met.

Although Saddam has been driven from power, the Iraqi people are still suffering.

Some Iraqis are growing frustrated with the situation. Firas Ibrahim, 30, told The New York Times, “Now we are satisfied that Saddam Hussein has left. But if this situation keeps up, we will all become volunteer Fedayeen (Hussein’s militia). This situation is too much to bear.”

While it’s true that only a few weeks have passed and rebuilding Iraq will take many years, the future of the newly liberated country is not as bright as Bush has made it seem.

Retired U.S. General Jay Garner has been chosen by the Pentagon to be the postwar governor of Iraq. He will be the man in charge of establishing civil order and providing aid to the Iraqi people. But he already has several black marks against him.

First, Garner has drawn criticism from Arab leaders. They worry about his credibility because, in 2000, Garner signed a statement by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Arab leaders have a problem with that statement because it said the Israeli military “exercised remarkable restraint” when they were dealing with the Palestinian authorities’ atrocious actions.

Choosing Garner seems like an incredible misstep by the American government. The postwar governor should be someone who not only can restore peace to Iraq, but can also work with neighboring countries to ensure peace once a new government takes over.

It is unlikely that Garner will be able to work with nearby countries when they already disapprove of him.

Even if another person had been chosen, successful reconstruction would not be assured.

Just look at the “progress” in Afghanistan since the United States drove the Taliban out of power.

Afghanistan is still in crisis, and without a basic working government, 16 months after the end of the Taliban’s rule. With a military that has been split by factionalism, an untrained police force and a religiously conservative justice system, the political situation is so dire that talks of rebuilding Afghanistan have gotten away from repairing infrastructure and humanitarian aid.

Despite this, the U.S. government continues to spend millions to train the new Afghan army.

Life hasn’t changed much for the Afghan women. Repressed by the Taliban government, many women continue to wear the burka even under the rule for fear of insults or threats. The rights given to women after the fall of the Taliban are beginning to be taken away again by ultraconservatives inside the government.

If the U.S. government truly wants to liberate the Iraqi people, it must do more than drive out Saddam’s regime. The government must look back and learn from the problems it faces in Afghanistan. If the United States doesn’t learn from that situation, Iraq’s people may not be much better off.

This is a staff editorial from The Columbia Chronicle at Columbia College. It was distributed by U-Wire.