SCOTT MILLER
News Assistant
At the same time that a new report by MSNBC saying that sectarian violence is rising all throughout the Arab world, House Democrats introduced a non-binding resolution to oppose President Bush’s surge tactic. When reports like this are being printed, the appropriate course of action for the United States, which has hundreds of thousands of active troops, would not be to talk about a rather inconsequential piece of legislation, but rather to roll up their sleeves and start addressing the real and eminent threat of sectarian violence in the Middle East.
The resolution is not entirely useless. It is, at least, an acknowledgement of the debacle that is the war in Iraq; however, it is not an effectual strategy to a situation that needs effective, efficient action. There is no point in legislating a measure that states that the newly inducted Democrats oppose Bush and his strategy in Iraq, especially since that is probably the reason the Democrats were elected in the first place.
The war in Iraq has become so politically transparent, that no one is surprised by the politicians’ views any more. I am not alone in imagining that the G.O.P. was hardly shocked and awed when the Democrats introduced this bill, as well as its senatorial counter part. Conversely, the Democrats, as well as the rest of the nation, could not have been very surprised when the G.O.P. blocked a vote on the Senate bill last week.
In a country where “Democrat” is synonymous with “anti-war,” the focus should not be on defining their stance as opposition to an inept “strategy” (I use the term loosely, because, well, it is not very much of a strategy, more like a desperate death rattle). That kind of action is well known and equally anticipated.
The Democrats need to break the mold. They need to join with the few rogue Republicans who also recognize the threat of sectarian violence and make legitimate strides towards ending the characteristic political unrest in the Middle East. As of now, the Democrats and Republicans are playing into the petty politics that are responsible for the escalation of the Iraq debacle.
Instead of quarreling over a non-binding resolution, politicians should be forming study groups and other research resources that will aide in increasing much needed cohesiveness of the region. As the report on MSNBC states, the sectarian violence and political unrest extends far beyond the borders of Iraq. It is myopic to think that Iraq is the only concern to the United States in the Middle East. Accordingly, it is ineffective to think that authoring and passing a non-binding resolution will do much of anything in the region.
What the Arab world, and the world as a whole needs, is an end to sectarian violence. There is no question about that, especially as Iraq has descended into a civil war, and Iran has gained power. That is the real way to better American interests in the region. The U.S. politicians need to unite in order to unite the warring factions of the Middle East.
02-15-2007
