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By Damaging Our Partnerships, We Damage Our Security
As the war in Iraq enters its sixth year, official US casualty figures approach 4,000 dead and nearly 30,000 wounded. These figures exclude the many who have less visible but no less damaging injuries to mental health; those whose injuries resulted from accidents while they served in a war zone; and the scores of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Iraqi civilians who have died and been wounded since this misguided war was launched. These are the most meaningful - and the saddest - costs of this war.
We know, however, that these statistics, along with the hundreds of billions of dollars already spent to date, do not fully measure the costs of this war. There are other serious casualties - ones that have potentially severe consequences to our national security and our personal safety but are difficult to quantify. The most concerning of these is the damage the war has caused to our international standing and the partnerships that are vital to address the very real continuing risks to our safety posed by al Qaeda. By invading Iraq, we have, in effect "cried wolf" - we've used up our international chits and credibility attacking a country that had nothing to do with 9-11 and had virtually no connection to al Qaeda.
Just last week we learned that after five years of research by the U.S. Joint Forces Command, based on more than 600,000 captured documents, including audio and video files, the Pentagon determined conclusively that there was no evidence of a Saddam - al Qaeda link. Meanwhile, both our Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense recently testified that al Qaeda has regenerated in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and that "there's no doubt that they have the intent of attacking the United States."
Our presence in Iraq, at the expense of a more robust and sustained military effort in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, has now strained the continued willingness of NATO countries to support the pursuit of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. NATO's supreme Commander John Craddock, in recent testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, put it rather starkly. Afghanistan and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, he said, are at a "critical juncture." The reluctance of NATO countries to increase or even continue support in Afghanistan "increase[s] the risk to every soldier, sailor, airman and marine deployed in theater." In short, through our continued presence in Iraq, and the resulting inadequate focus on the Afghan-Pakistani border areas, we are compromising our key security partnerships and joint security initiatives in the places where they matter the most. One can only wonder what the willingness - and capacity - of our historic partners will be if a crisis erupts elsewhere in the world and truly requires joint military action.
Our five years in Iraq has not only hurt our relationship with other nations, but with local populations worldwide, especially in the Middle East. The percentage of people who view the United States as a positive influence in public affairs is shrinking. Even worse, our presence in Iraq is used as a recruiting tool for al Qaeda and has generated a level of political turbulence around the world that has given way to a new variety of al Qaeda-style militants. These militants are gaining prominence in many countries that have traditionally been our allies. The longer we remain in Iraq, the longer these new strains of extremism will threaten the security of the region, and in turn our nation. As long as the President's policies continue, Iraq will continue to be what the Intelligence Community has called a "cause celebre" for a new generation of terrorists.
We must not lose sight of the need for extensive and dedicated partners in our multifaceted fight against terrorism. We must repair, respect and strengthen these partnerships. They are essential to our security. But we can only do so by demonstrating that we understand where our precious military resources, and the military resources of our partners, must be engaged - and where they must not be engaged. We do our troops, our nation and our international partners a disservice if we do not make and act on this distinction today.
Read more HuffPost coverage and reaction to the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq
Follow Sen. Russ Feingold on Twitter: www.twitter.com/U.S. Senator fr
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I thank you Senator Feingold for continuing to be an unmitigated and unashamed truthsayer instead of a lackey politician! I find it incredible that we have now made Iraq safe for Amadanejad and for the host of shameless politicians who hover there for photo ops and yet remaining a desperate place for millions of Iraqi citizens. I watched as Turkey invaded Iraq from the north. Then Maliki threatened the Kurds of the northern region for making oil agreements which he said were null and void. The very next day, he visited Turkey and explicitly suggested that the Iraqi government and the Turks may jointly invade the region to nullify the oil agreements. You know that Turkey is not interested in the northern oil fields!You mean that there is still rancor in the region? Schade! Who knows where it all will end? You know that there are legions of war profiteers who would love a regional conflict with the armies of many nations involved.
Not one word by Finegold on how the continued occupation of Iraq has benefited Iran and is growing its power in the region. Not one word that Iran not Al Qaida poses the greatest threat to our security and the peace of the region. Finegold is another braindead politician who doesn't comprehend the real dangers that we face.
we are our greatest threat to our security! bet you think we should bomb iran, how arrogant
I just wanted to say that I appreciate your commitment to this country and to this issue. You are a great American and a true patriot. I only hope that you can keep the iraq war in the public's mind as a top issue. I understand that we are faced with a troubled economy, but I believe the war contributed to the troubles in our economy. I don't believe are elected officials in washington discuss this issue enough. And I am so sick of hearing that the surge is working. It might have calmed the violence, but the cease in violence was supposed to lead to political reconciliation. That hasn't happened. Congress need to pressure Bush and Petraus and hold them accountable.
oops - I apoligize for spelling Senator Feingold's name wrong....
Dear Senator Finegold,
What can we do? Many of us acknowledge the problems are, well, criminal at this point but we urgently need to stop this war. What can I do? Acknowledging the problem is no longer enough. Why is there no urgency around this issue?
With all due respect Senator Feingold, your points are well taken, but they prove worthless if you and yours in Congress and the DNC leaders continue to allow our party to be divided and destroyed by the candidate who resfuses to accept defeat. In all honesty, like those who refuse to accept the defeat of war, she truly is in the wrong party. Has anyone asked her if she is a democrat and if she would support the democratic nominee in the general election????
Senator Feingold -
It's time to push the temporary advantage that Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer's principled refusal to back down on FISA has given the American people and Congress against the dishonest, reckless Bush administration, by raising the rhetorical stakes about Iraq.
To wit, it's time to start PUBLICLY asking:
Why the "enemy" our Armed Forces in Iraq are targeting and killing is Iraqis not affiliated in any way with Al Qaeda (with all the vicious associated urban-street-as-battlefield civilian "collateral" deaths that encompasses).
And why the overwhelming superiority of the United States military is being used to support Iranian-backed Shiites [ISCI and its Badr militia] who target and slaughter Iranian-neutral (at best) Shiites [Sadr and his Mahdi militia] in Iraq. [Iranian-backed Shiites who used death squads and their knowledge and access gained from the American occupiers to kill Iraq's former Iran experts and intelligence assets. This is in addition to both our active abetting, and bystanding indifference as roving gang elements of both Shiite groups have targeted, murdered and ethnically cleansed innocent Iraqi Sunnis in Baghdad and elsewhere.]
Http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20080310&s=dreyfuss
["The United States is being played," agrees Kenneth Katzman, Middle East specialist for the Congressional Research Service. "The US military is being played by the [Iranian-backed Shiite] Hakims in this internecine struggle."]
That's Iraqi Shiite vs. Iraqi Shiite violence in which we are engaged, not the (fictional) fight against "Al Qaeda" Sunnis that the propaganda and disinformation our Executive Branch, legislators and media openly disseminate on a daily basis pretends it is, in order to justify and prolong our continued presence and (unspoken but obviously oil-wealth-motivated) occupation of Iraq.
We're siding with the ISCI Shiites we installed as the "government" (and army and police) in Iraq in their effort to make Iraq effectively an acquiescent colony of Persian IRAN, despite the Arab nationalism of IRAQIs, apparently because it helps to promote the obscene private-profit-before-people agenda of the corporate raider types running the United States occupation in blind pursuit of an American oil colony on the sands of Iraq, with the help of witless Members of Congress.
Members of Congress who stand by and watch those corporate raiders at work with OUR Armed Forces, and either silently do nothing, or (especially if Republican) actively parrot their propaganda, or, as with even your worthy public comments and blog postings, Senator Feingold, help distract and misdirect attention from the underlying agenda the United States has long been pursuing in Iraq by only daring to nibble around the edges of the core, profound cruelty, injustice, and thievery of our presence and the shatteringly-destructive mayhem it continues to wreak in Iraq.
The corporate raiders have "succeeded" in maintaining their grip on Iraq's throat for five long years now. How much longer will their $22-Trillion-Dollar-Oil-Fields-Driven Iraq Occupation be allowed by Congress to continue?
HuffPost's Pick
Honorable Senator Feingold,
When will the Senate and Congress get the courage to begin to really address the root cause of our feeling of insecurity? The root cause being our existing foreign policy specifically in the Middle-East. This policy of divide and concur, and of reaction rather than careful thought prior to taking action ala backing up Musharaf rather than the Afghani government and countless other ridiculous actions such as using Iran as another threat to go into another war, interfering in Latin America by unconditional backing of Columbia against it’s neighbors. The list goes on and on. The world is now aware that the US foreign policy is one that does not value the lives of any person including its own if it means securing resources.
It is obvious that this government’s foreign policy is a direct cause for Al-Qaeda being stronger than ever and the main reason why America is held at the lowest regards in the international community.
Finally, this policy is the main reason why America is now hated throughout the world and not just the Islamic world for what it has done in Iraq and what it is doing in Palestine. The policy of blind and unconditional support to the state of Israel is one big reason that increases the world's hatred towards us and puts us at risk of being attacked. After 9/11, I recall reading numerous articles and opinions about "Why they Hate us?" Here we are 5 years later, and it seems that we still don't get "Why they still hate us?"
Senator, I ask you as a leader in the senate to take on this question seriously and address our country’s ignorant foreign policy. There will be no battles won either in Iraq or in Afghanistan without political progress and this will never occur unless our foreign policy changes.
Stop putting American’s lives at risk.
Respectfully submitted
SirShawn (and HuffPost),
Isn't this post somewhat misdirected? There isn't much that members of the legislature can do, except write blog entries and attempt to limit the budget (which, by the way, would constitute that now-detested process called earmarking), since foreign policy is established by the Executive branch. While I agree that much of America's foreign policy has been damaging to our standing in the world, and in direct opposition to long-term strategic goals, your letter should be directed towards George W. Bush, and you should campaign and vote accordingly.
There is one critical message in both Senator Feingold's entry and your response: citizens who believe that the country is moving in the right direction can influence foreign policy at the voting booth, and this Fall they will be given the choice of continuing down a disastrous path (with John McCain), or choosing an alternative.
Dear Senator Feingold,
Just wanted to drop in to say thank you for all your efforts and keeping us abreast. Seems, we (You and I) are in the same stream of consciousness on much of what you have eloquently expressed. Agape.
I'm 22 years old and a student at Boston University...I could never imagine, EVER, having to go to war and be in Iraq right now...The thought literally scares me to death...My position is that If you, yourself are not ready to go to Iraq and do the fighting, then you CANNOT support it. So many of my peers are so passive and complacent with this war...Passivity is Complacency...that's why we went in and that's why we're still there. Passivity of the Populace and Complicity of our leaders for far too long.
One point that is greatly missed in the discussion and the media is the 'new breed' of the Islamic youth who are being created and inflamed by the actions of the United States...A whole new generation of people who hate America....You cannot prevent unconventional warfare when people are willing to kill themselves to kill others, we MUST win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.
Obama is the only candidate that has a chance in hell of doing that.
Senator,
Haven't we done the same thing in Iraq that Japan did to China in seach of natural resources?
Not as curel I hope but for the same reason.
You have always been right on with your comments and beliefs, I wish many more were like you in both the Congress and the Senate. I would love to see you endorse Hillary for President or be selected as her Vice President. More than that, though, I'd rather see impeachment proceedings begin with the Bush administration. 85% of Americans would support anyone brave enough to start the proceedings. Obviously, the American people do not have that in the leadership of the Senate or House. Why not?
I really like Hillary, I really do, I'm sure she has her heart in the right place and would do wonders for this country domestically, however I think she would be a disaster in foreign policy and that is what this country needs more than anything else right now, to undo the enormous damage of Bush and Cheney. I don't think Hillary is competent in foreign policy matters, pure and simple, she has shown that time and time again with her votes on Iraq and everything connected to Iraq. Though I don't blame her for Bill's horrible foreign policy blunders and crimes she did not exactly condemn them in public or influence her husband to do otherwise. I think she is just too weak to be President, i.e., she values political power MORE than doing what is right, like 99% of politicians with few exceptions....and this will cause her to make more mistakes, perhaps serious ones. Perhaps Obama is no better but at least there's hope he might be, we know Hillary can't do the job, her votes prove it, as for Obama we don't know but there's hope. So we have a choice vote for certain failure to clean up the Bush Cheney horrors or vote for the hope things will change...to me this is a no brainer. We KNOW Hillary is bound to fail, she's already proved she will, at least with Obama we have some hope he's got the strength of character to make the right decisions. He is definitely a Godsend if he really is whom he portrays himself to be and I believe he is real and not just an illusion another easily corruptible politician.
Sadly almost exactly as cruel, though at least we're not forcing women into sexual slavery (that we know of!)
Senator Feingold, how can we expect to strengthen our partnerships against enemies in Afghanistan if we cannot face up to the violence and theft perpetrated against us by our own representatives and Executive and Judicial Branch? Even if we failed to impeach for this privatized war atrocity, isn't direction and priorities everything for a citizen or a nation? Next time you see Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid, please tell them that it is spiritually and intellectually depleting to be an American citizen today because of their constant enabling of all this war profiteering, murder, treason, and fascism.
Dr. Benjamin Barber (good guy by the way) says much of the same thing.
Dear Senator Feingold,
Could you tell me how many allies we had in the middle east prior to the liberation of Iraq? Oh and I guess you could tell me how many we've lost in the other parts of the world since then also. Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, North Korea? Oh that's right, that were such great allies prior to.
My count:
+1 IRAQ
+Libya gave up weapons when we went in
+According to the CIA, Iran suspended their nuclear weapons program around the time we went in
+North Korea has by all counts suspended their nuclear weapons program also under Bush
Sounds pretty successful fo me.
Regards
4000 American dead is all I need to know. Allies? We make allies with crooked regimes and dictators until they don't serve our needs anymore. Saddam had served his purpose, just like Osama bin Laden had, allies all--but now they had turned on us. Why? It's the oil stupid!
Right on! Clear and to the point...its about oil...and we are turning our young men and women into nazi like criminals because our politicians don't have the guts to stand up to the oil companies and military contractors....cowards all! Our soldiers are victims not heros, though a few who resist are heros, like the Winter Soldier, but the majority of our soldiers are victims no more no less than the Iraqi people...both are suffering enormously whether killing or being killed, whether torturing or being tortured...after you kill a child or torture an innocent man because you're ordered to do so and realize what you've done years later , there is nothing worse... that is why so many commit suicide.!
Little factoid: acccording to the DOD our actual total yearly death toll for the military is actually less in the last 5 years than it has been under the last 3 or 4 adminstrations during "peacetime" (this includes the 8 years of the Clintons).
We lose about 2 soldiers in regular auto accidents, murders, training accidents, home accidents, and suicides for every soldier we lose in combat.
The biggest reason for the overload at the VA hospitals has been the amazing number of soldiers that have been evac'd from the battle field that survived. The survival rate is way beyond what the DOD calculated for (and planned hosptital beds for).
In fact the one real abundance the DOD has had for the last 5 years was an overload of body bags and caskets for the death toll they originally planned for (in excess of 10,000 dead for the original defeat of Saddamn).
I remember after we pre-emptively invaded Iraq how Israel took that as justification for them to start pre- emptively attacking Palestinian terrorists and the Bush administration had to talk them out of it. When you think about it, just about every powerful nation in the world has somebody they wouldn't mind pre- emptively invading. Pre- emption is a very dangerous mindset. Whatever successes end up coming from this war... too many people have died, too much money spent, pre- emption is a mistaken philosophy... the war can never be justified.
This is one the least intelligent postings in quite some time, which is saying a bunch.
libya gave up their weapons program before we went in, it was not announced until later to make it appear that our invasion of iraq was the reason. north korea also obtained nuclear weapon under bush and his "line in the sand" mentality. the agreement with north korea and their programs was well worked out prior to king george being appointed, they only restarted them due to his policy. "Sounds pretty successful to me. " please fill me in on all the success that this war and foreign policy has had ?
I've always felt Sen. Feingold was one of the good ones in the Senate. I've seen him meet with ordinary citizens and answer their questions, and I like how he interviews Bush Administration officials when they go before the Senate.
What strikes me about the Bush Adiministration is they basically do whatever they want and there are never any consequences. Democrats will speak out against Bush policies, but in the end they get implemented.
As an example, this article says there was no link between al-Queda and Sammam Hussein, and I've read this before in Al Gore's book, The Assault on Reaon. But if this is true, then how come the Vice President, as early as like two days ago, can say there is a link. How come when Dennis Kucinich brings articles of impeachment against Cheney citing numerous examples of him misleading the public on this issue, the democratic leadership runs away.
How many Bush appointments have been approved by Congress that shouldn't have been. Bush wants Gonzalaz as Attorney General, and he gets it. He wants Roberts as Chief Justice, he gets it. He wants Mukasey, he gets it. He wants to torture, he gets it. He wants the Patriot Act, he gets it. He wants to go to Iraq, and you get everything in this article. Thousands dead, billions spent. I'm just tired of reading about it... I want somebody to do something.
Sammam, lol. I meant Saddam
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