Accomplishing the Mission

As the country talks this week about the fifth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished,” my thoughts are drawn to the scene of a different mission.

I had the humbling honor of standing on the dunes above Omaha Beach, looking at the wide sand and turbulent water beyond. Only by seeing it firsthand can one understand how seemingly insurmountable the task of storming that beach under massive German fire truly was.

When given a military mission, there is no force better in the world than the brave men and women of the American armed forces. The difference in Iraq is that the mission which began as the search for weapons of mass destruction and the removal of an evil dictator has changed. Our military is now mired in a three-way war between Iraqi factions, as those factions jockey for power and control of oil-rich territory, some (perhaps) with Iranian help. “Mission accomplished” in Iraq will not truly occur until and unless the Iraqis stand up for themselves.

The “nation” of Iraq was a creation of the British following World War I, and includes diverse peoples who still identify by tribal and religious identifications – preceding Sunni, Shi’a, and Kurd – with mistrust and warfare going back hundreds of years. Healing those ancient hatreds is not a military mission. To quote General Petraeus: “no one… feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation.”

The mission of the 2007 surge was to create “breathing room” – a temporary reduction of violence – so reconciliation between the warring Iraqi factions could begin. The American part of the surge worked: there was a reduction of violence. The failure was that of the Iraqis, who were unwilling or unable to begin the political process.

We can no longer risk the lives and limbs of our brave young men and women in a conflict that, according to our military leadership, has no military solution. The solutions for Iraq must come from Iraqis, and will be brought about by diplomatic, not military, force.

We must begin a planned withdrawal, supported by intense diplomatic efforts, so that the gains we have made are not uprooted. We can then begin to rest and rebuild our military, and focus on a 21st century GI Bill, updating benefits and medical care for the brave Americans who have fought so valiantly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is time we recognize that our troops have accomplished all they can until the Iraqis end their violent civil war, declare our part of the mission accomplished, and bring our heroes home.

(Cross-posted from www.jane08.com)