"Patience needed in Iraq" , Swedish newspaper editorial

[cliss]

An editorial from Sweden's daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, in reaction to the bombing of Iraq yesterday.

Apr. 6, 2004
Translated from Swedish
http://www.dagensnyheter.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d

Patience needed in Iraq

<snip>

And decisiveness will be needed, both nationally and internationally if Iraq is to recover. The rest of the world needs to be working together on this.

On the surface, it may seem very simple and uncomplicated. The only reasonable thing to do is that the countries adjust themselves to the reality which exists. Of course it's important that the motivations for going to war are scrutinized, that false information is brought out in the open and that responsibility is placed on the right people. But for the international organizations which have the ability to help Iraq, there is nothing to gain by trying to figure out who was right and who was wrong in the lead-up to the war.

The war has been won; Saddam Hussein's world of terror has been shattered. Iraq has been given a chance for a better future. Now the focus must be on rebuilding. It must be about creating a normal Iraqi life and that Iraq is no longer a threat to international peace and security.

Asking the UN to take charge is our first requirement. But the world organization is hesitating, not just because of security reasons. And there are additional complications where certain countries do not want to legitimize something which they consider to be wrong -- as well as risking their troops' lives.

On the surface it is clear that the occupation must end. Iraq should be governed by Iraqis and not by foreign powers. But the situation on the ground is hardly ready for such self-rule.

<snip>

Everything points to the fact that the USA's presence by necessity will be very long-term. And one can claim that the longer they stay, the more other countries will be forced to share the financial burden.

But the simple truth is that the rest of the world has no choice. The situation after a conflict is often explosive and stalled peace negotiations are often more dangerous than the original conflicts.

<snip>

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I couldn't help but notice the last sentence, "the rest of the world has no choice". The rest of Europe probably feels the same way. The US is the undisputed giant in a world of dwarves, and there is nothing they can do to change that.

I guess it's up to us to make a change. I love the post where someone wrote, "and the only people this administation fears are the Americans themselves".