Jan Schneider is a forceful advocate for responsible redeployment out of Iraq -- commencing immediately! True leadership is required not only by the President, but also in the United States Congress, to extricate this country from a war the prolongation of which is contrary to our own national interest. The time has come to recognize that the remaining tasks of political reconstruction must rest with the Iraqis themselves.
 Our military has accomplished outstanding successes. The human costs have, however, been immeasurable --
well over 4,000 United States deaths (not including dozens of Iraq War veterans committing suicide each week)
and tens of thousands of non-mortal U.S. casualties. In addition, the Iraq and Afghan wars will set our economy back close to $3 trillion dollars according to world-renowned economists, and even the conservative Government Accountability Office puts the pricetag at close to $2 trillion. Moreover, our country has suffered greatly through loss of credibility, leadership and respect throughout the world.
Back in October 2002 Jan Schneider went on public record (including on Manatee Educational Television) urging that the Iraq War Resolution was a major mistake and that the United States should not contemplate any precipitous military action in Iraq. Jan thought at the time and has since become convinced that President George W. Bush and his Administration were far less than truthful in presenting the dangers of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein. Bluntly put, they lied this country into war.
 Fortunately, there appears to be an emerging consensus, at least outside of Washington, D.C., that the United States should disengage from Iraq as expeditiously as can be accomplished consistent with the safe and orderly redeployment of our armed forces and civilian contractors. The ongoing commitment of many tens of thousands – more than 160,000 – of our troops and millions of tons of essential equipment is sapping U.S. military strength. It is also jeopardizing U.S. homeland security, since our own country is left with insufficient numbers of National Guard and Reserve personnel to deal with emergencies and natural disasters. Worse still, it creates major distractions from the true life-and-death global war on terrorism.
Our political leaders must give utmost priority to immediate, safe withdrawal from Iraq. But even accepting this policy, crucial issues remain. Neither the turmoil in Iraq itself nor the broader destabilization of the Middle East region that it has exacerbated can be productively addressed without dealing directly with Iran and Syria. The United States will also require the help from other countries -- not only Britain, France and Germany, but also China and Russia – in seeking to quell sectarian violence. The objectives include: preventing Iran from effectively taking over Iraq, either directly or through manipulation of the Shiite majority in southern Iraq; keeping Syria and other Sunni-dominated countries from intervening on behalf of Sunni Iraqis; and dissuading Turkey from sending troops into Kurdish territories. In addition, with particular regard to the Turkish government, the U.S. may need to mend fences so as to facilitate the safer option of removing major segments of our troops and equipment through the more stable Kurdish area in northern Iraq into Turkey (the alternative, main road south to Kuwait being notoriously open and vulnerable); we would also thereafter require expanded use of Turkish bases and ports to complete redeployment. In addition to certain powerful countries, the United Nations and other international organizations may also have a renewed and important role to play in and around post-war Iraq. In short, the U.S. may now need international assistance more than ever.
Nor can the United States overlook the continuing humanitarian considerations, both within Iraq and in the surrounding region. We cannot delude ourselves that any major withdrawal, whenever it takes place, will be without major disruptions. Due largely to our own actions, Iraq and the Middle East region will likely become more dangerous and chaotic at least for a transitional period. Still, for the U.S. to continue undertaking to suppress indigenous sectarian struggles in the name of fostering democracy may only make matters worse. An outside power can at best afford fertile opportunities for democratic government: democracy cannot be imposed from above, but rather must take root from the ground up.
There is also a growing refugee problem. Most prevalent estimates hold that the Iraq War has already created nearly two million Iraqi refugees, most of whom have fled to Syria and Jordan, and that another two million or so Iraqis are displaced within their own country. Solving the refugee issue cannot be effectively managed without cooperation of all six countries bordering Iraq — Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey — and the help and money of other nations as well.
At home in the United States, there is a need to rise above partisanship and restore cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of our government and across the aisles in Congress. In his famous treatise on war, Carl von Clausewitz declared that "war is merely a continuation of politics by other means." The Bush Administration and leading proponents of both major political parties in Congress appear determined to turn this observation on its head, re-enacting the Iraq war in domestic politics. Such a partisan battle can have no victor; but both the country and our troops are unquestionably the losers.
The time has come to elect political leaders who will rise above narrow partisanship and personal political ambitions to work at forging a viable consensus on ending the Iraq War. We should all try focusing more on the consequences than on the politics of war. In Congress, Jan Schneider will dedicate herself to securing immediate, responsible redeployment of United States forces and civilian personnel out of Iraq.
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For further information, see Iraq War discussion paper.
See also Economy, Preemptive War Doctrine and Talking Turkey – and Iraq discussion papers;
Jan Schneider, Nation Loses in a Domestic Political War Over Iraq,
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Apr. 6, 2007 (Guest Column);
Jan Schneider and Harold Schneider, Veterans Still Kept from Legal Help,
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, May 19, 2007 (Letter to the Editor).
On the Middle East region, see also Israel and Palestinian discussion papers.
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