What are we Fighting For?

This is the question liberals constantly ask me. As if this should end any argument for staying there.

The truth is, we have a variety of reasons why we need to stay there. So I will debunk the various liberal arguments in order:

What happened to "Mission Accomplished"?
This is an example of how Liberals seem to think in a very linear way. The short answer is that the mission WAS accomplished; the context of that banner was the removal of Saddam and his government. Yes, that was accomplished. Our goal was to remove Saddam. We removed Saddam. Therefore, the mission was accomplished.

That is separate and distinct from subsequent missions (holding elections and establishing a democracy for example). The fact that we completed the mission of removing Saddam doesn't mean that the threat is gone or that our job is done. There is more than one mission. The "mission accomplished" banner was in reference to only one of them.

So why are we still there?
The main reason we are still there is to help the Iraqis entrench their democracy. The democracy might succeed even if we pull out. But the chances that it will fail (and the risk that another Saddam-like dictator will come to power) increase exponentially if we leave. Because they cannot adequately defend themselves from the anti-democracy forces that are trying to topple them.

The main reason we are there is to function as a stop-gap military and police force until the Iraqis can build one of their own. We are giving them breathing room in order to establish their own defenses against the infection of anti-democracy forces aligned against them.


What do we have to gain by staying there?
The permanent removal of a threat to us, as well as a potential ally.

Statistically speaking, democracies almost never attack one another. Even if the Iraqi democracy never becomes an ally of the US, they are extremely unlikely to cooperate with terrorists. That alone makes our efforts worth it; It is one less nation that terrorists will not be able to colonize.

There is also the possibility that a successful Iraq can start a democracy cascade in the Middle East, leading to the potential birth of other democracies. Right now a lot of people (both here and over there) are operating under the assumption that Muslims are incapable of sustaining a democracy. That there is some kind of fundamental difference between our cultures that precludes the possibility of a Muslim democracy. A successful Iraq will prove them wrong, and demonstrate that the people of the Middle East can indeed live in democracies. That it is a viable alternative for them.

But isn't it wrong to force a Western-style democracy on the People of Iraq?
This one always makes me laugh...as if giving them the opportunity to choose to make their own laws is somehow immoral. It is not. It is like saying it is wrong to "force" someone to breathe.

Furthermore, there is no such thing as a "western style" democracy. That is a fabrication of the left. Either a nation is a democracy or it is not. The definition of "democracy" is very clear....it requires only that the common people ultimately control political power (either directly or by proxy). Technically speaking, we did not install a US-style democracy. Iraq has a parliamentary system. We do not have a Parliamentary system.

In any event, the People of Iraq now have control of their government. Their current politicians were freely elected (not appointed by the US). And their Constitution was ratified by a large majority of the population. They have the ability to alter their Constitution just as we do. So if they really don't want a "western style" democracy, they have the power to change it.

If you support the war, why aren't you over there fighting instead?
This argument is kind of a cop out on the part of liberals. But its a common one, so I will address it.

First of all, we have a 100% volunteer military. Not a single soldier was conscripted. Every single person fighting in Iraq (without exception) is there because they chose (for whatever reason) to join the military.

Second, we don't have to participate directly in every dangerous profession in order to have an opinion on what the people in that profession should do. Liberals don't seem to have a problem being anti-crime, even though most of them are not cops, and don't have to risk their own lives confronting dangerous criminals. They don't seem to have a problem believing that Firefighters should have to fight fires, even though the vast majority of them have chosen not to become firefighters themselves, and so do not have to face the same risks firefighters do. So why is it any different with soldiers? The argument is incredibly hypocritical.

The function of the military is to defend the nation. Establishing a democracy in Iraq will contribute to our long term security in a significant way. Most people in the military seem to agree. Support for the war is actually higher in the military than it is in the civilian population. But even if that weren't true, they don't get to override the will of the nation. And the elected representatives of our nation have decided that the war is necessary. A soldier does not get to pick and choose which wars he wants to fight.

These are just the purely selfish reasons we have to establish the Iraqi democracy. There is also a moral imperative; It is MORAL to spread freedom to people who are not already free. It is justified for no other reason than because it is the right thing to do.