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Setting a timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq is exactly what we need to do. The longer our forces are in Iraq, the more people we will lose, which would be fine if we had a good reason for them to be there, but we don't.

The reasons we've gone through for going into Iraq and staying in have been: to search for weapons of mass destruction, to enforce UN resolutions applying to Iraq, to weaken anti-American terrorists by making Iraq useless to them as a safe haven, and to bring democracy to Iraq.

We've already accomplished the first two objectives, because now our forces have forcibly caused an end to all resistance, real or imagined, to weapons inspectors, and have conducted a thorough search of all the areas where we thought there might be WMDs. As for the third reason, the presence of our troops in Iraq only makes it easier for Al Qaeda and similar organizations to make the point that we are trying to build an empire and therefore to recruit Iraqis to their cause. Thus the longer our forces remain in Iraq, the farther we will be from reaching the third objective.

Suppose we leave Iraq and one of the warring factions succeeds in uniting the country, then we will have someone with whom we might be able to work in order to fight the terrorists. Remember, we have the resources and the political muscle that if a group can maintain control over their country for just a few years, then we can ensure that they stay in control for a long time. Any kind of ruling group in Iraq, be it democratic or otherwise, will benefit greatly from an association with us, even if that association is covert. Essentially, we will probably find ourselves in a position to trade assistance to the victor in the Iraqi civil war for policies that make it extremely difficult for Al Qaeda to function within the country.

Lastly, in terms of making Iraq into a democracy, we might be able to achieve a sort of victory by reinstating the draft to put enough people in the country to secure it and allow the current, tragically corrupt government to stay in power, but I doubt whether that would be democracy in anything but name. The most fundamental principle in democracy is that the right to rule comes from the people, so when the vast majority of the people want something it is usually a good idea to do that. When I look on the news and see Iraqis shouting things like, "Americans, go home," I can't help but wonder if this isn't nearly unanimous throughout the country. If it is, then it looks like the people we have been trying to give freedom to are using that freedom to tell us to get the hell out of their country.

In order for a withdrawal of American forces from Iraq to be a mistake, we would have to lose more than we would gain by keeping our soldiers there, and that is not the case. Currently, our forces are caught in the cross-fire of a civil war. Our war goals have either been accomplished or are rendered more difficult by our presence than they would by our absence. The longer our forces are in Iraq the more easily Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups can make the argument that we are crusaders and that Muslims need to fight us as they would the devil. We have no reason to stay, and we should not.

Learn more about this author, Ian Black Trippen.
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