Americans were reminded that President Obama is just as committed to "taking the fight to the extremists" as President Bush was to "fighting the terrorists over there so we didn't have to fight them here." How real is this al-Qaeda "threat" really? Why does it seem like President Obama has continued former Vice President Dick Cheney's "one-percent doctrine"--the idea that if there is a one-percent chance of something happening, that something has to be treated as it will happen? How many of us still fear the al-Qaeda boogeyman and feel that the Homeland Security-complex in this country isn't good enough to keep us safe? How many believe continued wars are helping to keep al-Qaeda from striking at this country again?
President Obama said now a "transition to Iraqi responsibility for their own security" in Iraq will take place. Americans should be weary about this transition; it is likely to not be as welcoming to the Iraqi people as President Obama would like Americans to believe.
If you ask Iraqis like Yanar Mohammed, President of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, Iraqis will likely tell you they view the Iraqi security forces to be more oppressive than benevolent. The U.S. trained the Iraqi army to detain Iraqis and carry out many of the tactics U.S. troops used, which consequentially made it difficult to win hearts and minds.
If you ask Iraqis like Mohammed, freedom of organizing doesn't exist. Collective bargaining or the privilege to organize and form unions, the freedom to participate in civil society organizations that promote democracy in Iraq--that doesn't really exist. People who participate in unions or civil society organizations are being harassed, targeted, and, in some cases, banned. And, there is fear of continued repression because, as Human Rights Watch has reported, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki runs a prison in Baghdad where prisoners have been tortured "Abu Ghraib-style."
In order for America to legitimate the belief that Iraqis "can resolve their differences and police their streets" and "only Iraqis can build a democracy within their borders," there are a number of policies and permissions that the U.S. government granted to corporations and non-governmental organizations that need to be reversed and suspended. There are a number of policies and laws that the U.S. encouraged the Iraqi government to pass that must be repealed and entirely done away with so all Iraqi people can truly enjoy the so-called freedom troops fought to institute in Iraq.
President Obama said in his speech, "We've persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people, a belief that, out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibilities. Now it's time to turn the page."
The stunning aspect of this was, as Fareed Zakaria, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, said on CNN after the speech, "this was President Obama speaking, not candidate Obama and not Senator Obama' praising the idea of nation-building in Iraq." He was praising "the idea of spreading democracy in Iraq" and "conditions-based withdrawal," which were terms "more associated with the more hawkish elements of the Democratic Party and indeed with President George W. Bush."
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