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This is a prospective letter I've drafted containing a possibly workable way to move the Iraq situation to a more peaceable status. I believe we desperately need to get this kind of concept into the debate among the presidential candidates. This may be the world's only chance given the current state of intransigence in Washington.
WANTED: One head of state to convene and lead a diplomatic initiative to begin to defuse the Iraq situation.
To: Head of State November 5, 2008
Every Nation in the World
Ladies and Gentlemen:
My election as President of the United States presents the world - all of us - with a narrow window of opportunity to pull back from the brink of further disaster in Iraq and the wider Middle East. The poor country of Iraq and its people have endured two awful regimes. The Saddam regime and the United States/Coalition occupation. I am committed to get that country on the path toward security and stability. I am less looking for a way out of Iraq than looking for a way forward for Iraq. One which will make the current reign of violence obsolete, repatriate the Iraqi refugees and begin to invest Iraq's riches in its people. I hope you cannot only endorse such an effort but that one of you is moved to lead the critical, right next step. Diplomacy.
The period from the US invasion of Iraq to the present has been one of the worst episodes in human history. The insensitivity and incompetence of the people in charge of the US strategic management of that invasion and occupation are beyond measure. That said, we must avoid a dangerous legacy from this disaster. You can help all of us grab the opportunity. Please give this request serious consideration.
To lead such a diplomatic effort will require skill and courage. I pledge to do what I can to supply the resources. I know that the countries who have participated in the so-called "Coalition" are not eligible for this leadership – ESPECIALLY MY COUNTRY. I also believe that the countries in the immediate vicinity of Iraq would be perceived to have too much self-interest at stake to lead this initiative.
I pledge to begin to shift the roughly $3Billion the US is spending weekly in Iraq to support your new initiative as the US military presence fades. As the transition proceeds I request that two principles trump all others. First, the safety and security of the citizens – Iraqi, United States, and others - civilian and military – is essential. Second, the path forward must aim to create an environment to permit development of a secure, stable Iraq. I think that is all the US can ask at this point.
I ask this now before I too get caught up in the flow direction the last six years has established. Some one of you please - please offer to convene a meeting of heads of states or volunteer to lead the effort yourself. It will require some of your time, but not your resources. It is, I believe, our only safe way forward.
Sincerely,
The Winner
2008 US Presidential Election
