Third, we?ve heard a lot about how unpopular this war has made us overseas. That may or may not be true. But in the long run, we?ve actually strengthened a key international institution: The United Nations.
After all, the U.N. passed some 18 resolutions ordering Saddam to disarm. But when it came time to back up its words with force, the world body wasn?t interested. By actually going to war and removing Saddam, the Bush administration did more to bolster the influence of the U.N. than those 13 years of sanctions did.
In fact, what the U.N. had actually done, through its corrupt Oil-for-Food program, was make Saddam richer than ever. He spent a lot of that treasure on palaces for himself, even as his people starved to death. He was a Weapon of Mass Destruction to the 300,000 Iraqis he killed over three decades in power.
He had to go. Without him, there?s a chance for Iraq to have a positive future.
And on the narrower question of ?will the Muslim world hate us because of Iraq,? the answer must be ?No.? The United States has done more for Muslims than any Islamic nation has.
Here at home, they enjoy complete religious freedom. Plus, we?ve sent Americans to fight for Muslims in Kosovo and to die for Muslims in Bosnia. Because of American intervention, Muslim women are now free to attend school in Afghanistan and Muslim men may run for office in Iraq.
It?s true that too often we?ve tied ourselves to wayward Muslim governments, and that can anger the Islamic ?man on the street.? Pre-1979 Iran comes to mind, and so does contemporary Saudi Arabia.
But today, in Iraq as in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, we?ve tied ourselves to Muslim people. We?re helping them. In the long run, they?ll understand that and appreciate that.
There?s plenty of ?news? coming out of Iraq today, from roadside bombings to prison abuses. But sometimes, the information we ought to already know also deserves to be news. We seldom hear that Iraq is better off today that it was under Saddam. But it is. Stop the presses.