Trapped In A Lie

Here's what Australian PM John Howard had to say about the war in Iraq last night:

"Whatever your view on the war - and I understand there are differing views in this room - winning the peace in Iraq is now vital. To give up on Iraq would be to create a haven for extremists, a sanctuary from which they can spread their ideology of totalitarianism and terror. This alone makes it vital that Australian forces remain in Iraq until their task is completed. Where we stand today, Iraq is not a diversion from the war on terror. It is the frontline."

So let's not admit we got anything wrong. Let's not apologize. Let's not even debate. Let's just keep lying.

Whatever Howard, Bush and Blair say, however much they try to blame foreigners for attacks on coalition forces, Iraq is not yet a "haven for terrorists." If Islamic terrorists are entering Iraq, that is a direct result of our governments' lies, hypocrisy and arrogance, which fuel anti-Western sentiment across the Muslim world. Terrorism is now on the rise worldwide but the real battle - the battle for hearts and minds - is not even being addressed.

Meanwhile, the US-led occupation of Iraq is proving to be a widening disaster. Iraqi self-government cannot come soon enough. Iraq still retains a strong tribal and religious system, which has served as the backbone of social order since long before Saddam took power. As anarchy begins to spread, it's time the US-led forces withdrew and let this tribal/religious system take control, whether in the form of a representative democratic government or some other form.

The best the coalition governments can now do is to admit their mistakes, then apologize to their own citizens and the world at large - particularly the Muslim world. Continued moral bankruptcy from the West only feeds the terrorist's agenda.