by Lao Ke

Created on: August 31, 2007

The current administration definitely struck a raw nerve recently with its misplaced and totally inappropriate statements that we could and would not abandon the Iraq people to the brutal legacy we left in Vietnam. Anyone with an inkling of Vietnam today finds this utterly preposterous. Perhaps there is some basis to link the two though; the most likely being that we again find ourselves fighting a distant war in a hostile land in support of an unpopular, incompetent and corrupt government for reasons that seem to be dubious at best. To those of us whose generation was perhaps defined by that distant war in Southeast Asia the current quagmire does however serve to remind us of the impact of war on our daily lives, particularly a war that is increasingly unpopular.

Wars, no matter how distant, are seldom linked to improving daily life. In fact, one of the most often invoked expressions is the infamous "sacrifice for war in the name of peace". Constant resources are needed, both human and material, the numbers of the dead and wounded mount daily, emotions are stretched and tempers are tested. In the generation of my parents and their parents, this "sacrifice" of course took on an entirely different meaning as the Great Wars were fought with a global unity and a clear understanding of what was at stake. These sacrifices were a necessary consequence to reach a better future for all mankind. It is pretty hard to draw a similar picture today; in fact, the current situation seems to only magnify that this war, more than most, is drawing us further into a lesser and perhaps more dangerous future.

First, what is the likely outcome? Will winning this war fundamentally change the forces that oppose us or will it only strengthen their resolve and broaden the conflict? Are we not in some respects at war to insure we can continue to feed our veracious appetite for oil, a resource that will inevitably be depleted anyway? Is this truly a war where victory will insure a lasting peace in the region or is it just a battle to be one or lost in a greater and more devastating march to oblivion? I of course do not even begin to have these answers nor do those in charge likely have either. One obvious outcome of this is the degree of polarization the war has fostered among friends and foes alike. Clearly this is not good. Will the outcome bring more security to our nation and insure we are safer in the future. The results are still out of course but the initial outlook is not favorable.

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