Welcome...

Many pages have been written on the Iraq War - its origins, its goals, the mistakes made, and the tragic stalement in which Iraq is stuck now - by people whose knowledge and experiences are very impressive. Our intention is not to add another forum that would comment on these matters.

Our goal is to offer a more personal discussion that accompanies a concrete proposition that could act as a catalyst to react positively with the stagnant stalemate in which all the parties to this complex situation find themselves today...

... and our central objective is to give direction toward a concrete and positive outcome for the courageous and suffering men, women, and children in the United States and in Iraq who have sacrificed so much, whether voluntarily or not, in the path of History's unforgiving wake.

This blog is specifically focused on both defending the proposition that it offers while incorporating alternative ideas coming from criticism whether positive and negative. We will post comments that we find constructive whether we agree or not, but this is not an open forum for intellectual narcissism or ideological obstinacy..

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6/24/07

First Post: The Premise...

This is the first post in this blog meant to accompany the concrete proposal for a radically new international mandate regarding Iraq that would replace the U.N. mandate that expires on December 31, 2007.

First and foremost, the authors of this proposition, and this accompanying commentary, claim no special knowledge or insight into the current situation or its origins and future; on the contrary, we simply feel the debate has become irreparably stagnant because of the violent internal standoff of multiple communities in Iraq, a pair of hardening perspectives in the United States that are fixed by the political calendar, and a world that is observing passively at best or manipulating the conflict at its periphery at worst...

... and we fundamentally abhor the notion that this is an acceptable status quo until 2009, if only for the sake of our fellow citizens serving in uniform and from other departments of government who are valiantly trying to finish a mission that was misbegotten from the outset.

To the degree we diverge from the obvious and accepted facts, here is our premise:

1. We now all realize that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a horrible but stabilizing force in Iraq... and that the oppressed Iraqi people - Shia, Sunni, Kurd, or Christian... devout or secular, moderate and radical alike - were bound to resist and overthrow if the sanctions and containment collapsed...

2. The manner in which the United States led the intervention in Iraq in 2003 undermined much of the legitimacy in what otherwise might have been a necessary as well as just cause...

3. The continued centrality of U.S. influence in the military and political conduct of the current conflict, and the pivotal role of that reality in domestic American politics in 2008, are the critical external factors that are making any progress impossible...

Some readers may disagree with one or more of these thoughts and we invite debate; however, the central question - whether we like it or not - points toward the future. We posed the proposition with a set of questions for comment because we want to try to identify the points of friction that render difficult any change in the current dynamic and we will share those results, as well as reflect any specific and coherent ideas or criticism that we did not anticipate. There are many specific points that we are sure will be raised - "What about the Iraq Study Group?", "the UN is incapable of solving problems...", "the US must protect its credibility of its commitments...", etc. - and we feel we can respond to these and other reactions but do not want to muddy the argument with a long and detailed proactive defense...

... and we are sufficiently realistic and clearheaded to know that there is no ideal or universally acceptable alternative, but we cannot sit idly by while others watch the hands move on the political clocks of expediency and procrastination. We are frankly surprised that the already established deadlines connected with the legitimacy conferred by the series of UN resolutions related to the current situation in Iraq have been ignored as concrete landmarks for reconsideration of the endeavor by all the parties...

We invite the readers of the Call for a New International Mandate Regarding Iraq to take that courageous leap of collective imagination now...

Posted by The NIM Authors...