Ralph Peters on Point
Iraq: What Went Right
Courage, skill, luck — and exhaustion
By Ralph Peters
The situation in Iraq has im proved so rapidly that Democrats now shun the topic as thoroughly as they shun our troops when the cameras aren’t around.
Yes, Iraq could still slip back into reverse gear. And no, we’re not going to get a perfect outcome. But the positive indicators are now so strong that the left’s defeatist lies are losing traction among the American people.
Attacks of every kind are down by at least half - in some cases by more than three-quarters. A wounded country’s struggling back to health. And our mortal enemies, al Qaeda’s terrorists, have suffered a defeat from which they may never fully recover: They’ve lost street cred.
Our dead and wounded have not bled in vain.
What happened? How did this startling turnabout come to pass? Why does the good news continue to compound?
Some of the reasons are widely known, but others have been missed. Here are the “big five” reasons for the shift from near-failure to growing success:
We didn’t quit: Even as some of us began to suspect that Iraqi society was hopelessly sick, our troops stood to and did their duty bravely. The tenacity of our soldiers and Marines in the face of mortal enemies in Iraq and blithe traitors at home is the No. 1 reason why Iraq has turned around.
Without their valor and sacrifice, nothing else would’ve mattered. Key leaders were courageous, too - men such as now-Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno. Big Ray was pilloried in our media for being too warlike, too aggressive and just too damned tough on our enemies.
Well, the Ray Odiernos, not the hearts-and-minds crowd, held the line against evil. Only by hammering our enemies year after year were we able to convince them that we couldn’t - and wouldn’t - be beaten. If the press wronged any single man or woman in uniform, it was Odierno - thank God he was promoted and stayed in the fight.
Gen. David Petraeus took command: Petraeus brought three vital qualities to our effort: He wants to win, not just keep the lid on the pot; he never stops learning and adapting, and he provides top-cover for innovative subordinates.
By late 2006, mid-level commanders were already seizing opportunities to draw former enemies into an alliance against al Qaeda. Petraeus saw the potential for a strategic shift. He ignored the naysayers and supported what worked.
Oh, and under Petraeus our troops have been relentless in their pursuit of our enemies. Contrary to the myths of the left, peace can only be built over the corpses of evil men.
The surge: While the increase in troop numbers was important, allowing us to consolidate gains in neighborhoods we’d rid of terrorists and insurgents, the psychological effect of the surge was crucial.
Pre-surge, our enemies were convinced they were winning - they monitored our media, which assured them that America would quit. Sorry, Muqtada - that’s what you get for believing The New York Times.
The message sent by the surge was that we not only wouldn’t quit, but also were upping the ante. It stunned our enemies - while giving Sunni Arabs disenchanted with al Qaeda the confidence to flip to our side without fear of abandonment.
Fanatical enemies: We lucked out when al Qaeda declared Iraq the central front in its war against civilization. Our monstrous foes alienated their local allies so utterly that al Qaeda in Iraq is now largely a spent force - the hunted, not the hunters. The terrorists have suffered a strategic humiliation.
Religious fanatics always overdo their savagery - but you can’t predict the alienation time-line. Al Qaeda’s blood-thirst accelerated the process, helping us immensely.
The Iraqis are sick of bloodshed and destruction: This is the least-recognized factor - but it’s critical. We still don’t fully understand the mechanics of black-to-white mood shifts in populations, but such transitions determine strategic outcomes.
What we do know is that, when tyrannical regimes collapse in artificial states such as Iraq (or the former Yugoslavia), a lot of pent-up grudges play out violently. People seem to need to get suppressed hatreds out of their systems.
The peace-through-exhaustion mood swing happened abruptly in Iraq. Suddenly, the people have had their fill of gunmen and gangsters who claim to be their defenders. Heads-down passivity has morphed into active resistance to the terrorists and militias.
We’re all sober now, Americans and Iraqis. And peace is built on sobriety, not passion.
As Thanksgiving approaches, consider a vignette from Baghdad:
As part of its campaign to eliminate Iraq’s Christian communities, al Qaeda in 2004 bombed St. John’s Christian church in Doura, in the city’s southern badlands. By last spring, local services had stopped completely.
Our Army’s 2nd Battalion of the 12th Infantry stepped up. Under Lt. Col. Stephen Michael (a Newark native), our soldiers methodically cleaned up Doura - no easy or painless task - and aided the reconstruction of the church.
Last week, a grateful congregation returned for a service that was, literally, a resurrection. Fifteen local Muslim sheikhs attended the Mass to support their Christian neighbors. Could there be a more hopeful symbol?
Those long-suffering Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in their neighborhood church this year. “Peace on earth” will mean more to them than mere words in a carol.
As for the grunts of 2-12 Infantry who made it all possible, their motto is “Ducti Amore Patria,” or “Having been led by love of country.”
On Thanksgiving Day, be thankful for such men.
Ralph Peters’ latest book is “Wars of Blood and Faith.”
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On Thanksgiving, I wish I could invite all our troops to my house to demonstrate how thankful I am for their service, their dedication. I can only try to express it in words–”you are in our hearts.”
November 21st, 2007 at 1:23 pmI wish I could tell them all thanks. Maybe I will
November 21st, 2007 at 1:39 pmyep would be great to line to them all up and shake each and every one of their hands and tell them thanks in person. Hell i wish i could do alot more than that for them even, buy them beers or something.
But anyways, Thank you to all who wear the uniform. current and former. God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving
November 21st, 2007 at 2:37 pmCol Peters: “The tenacity of our soldiers and Marines in the face of mortal enemies in Iraq and blithe traitors at home is the No. 1 reason why Iraq has turned around.”
Me: Hear Hear!!!
Col Peters: “Oh, and under Petraeus our troops have been relentless in their pursuit of our enemies. Contrary to the myths of the left, peace can only be built over the corpses of evil men.”
Me. When it comes to Islamo-facists, “…peace can only be built over the corpses of evil men.” Absolutely right on target Col Peters. And Gen Petraeous is still a freaking genious in my book.
Col Peters: “The surge: While the increase in troop numbers was important, allowing us to consolidate gains in neighborhoods we’d rid of terrorists and insurgents, the psychological effect of the surge was crucial.
Pre-surge, our enemies were convinced they were winning - they monitored our media, which assured them that America would quit. Sorry, Muqtada - that’s what you get for believing The New York Times.”
Me: Sounds like the Col is also talking about Murtha or Peloski…same enemies…same problem with CRI.
Col Peters: “And peace is built on sobriety, not passion.”
Me: That’s no-shit. When was the last time that a Muslim Sheik attended a Catholic Mass and approved of the rebuilding of a blown-up Church? (Blown up by a Muslim homicidal bomber). You won’t see that every day in the Muslim world. That’s a sign of real progress.
Hoo-ah to the brave American fighters…The Marines, the Army…everybody… Hoo-ah to the valiant Iraqi troops, and the sheiks who are standing up like men to the crud that is AQ.
God Bless them all.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:57 pm“Contrary to the myths of the left, peace can only be built over the corpses of evil men.”
Amen. Amen. Amen!
November 21st, 2007 at 7:10 pm“Fifteen local Muslim sheikhs attended the Mass to support their Christian neighbors. Could there be a more hopeful symbol?”
Now those muslims I respect!
November 21st, 2007 at 7:41 pm“Ducti Amore Patria,” or “Having been led by love of country.”
2nd Battalion / 12th Infantry
November 21st, 2007 at 7:44 pmI’m inclined to give more emphasis to the forward deployment aspect of the military push, going into WFLOBs, Way Forward Little Operating Bases, aka Combat Out Posts or COPs, and exposing soldiers to the populace, as opposed to “maximizing” Force Protection by hunkering down in FOBs. That confronting of risk and fear, amongst other things, showed the Iraqis that the US soldier could face fear and have faith in himself, his leaders, and the Iraqi public. It would have been churlish of them not to reciprocate.
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:32 amBrilliant article by a brilliant guy!!
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AMEN TO THAT ONE, BRO!!
Odierno is DA BOMB!!
November 22nd, 2007 at 7:24 pm