THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE-EAST
By
Maj.
Gen. Jerry R. Curry
CurryforAmerica.com
The
future of the Middle-East is at stake. One day soon
someone is going to have to answer this question.
“If Iraq
disappeared from the face of the earth today, what
loss would that be to the United States?
What
does Iraq add politically, scientifically, and
culturally to America or to the American way of
life?” It does export oil, but the United States is
not dependent upon that oil.
Perhaps from a world point of view, it would be
useful if the US could find a way to stabilize the
Mid-East’s troubled Muslim countries. But no matter
how well intentioned the US may be, it cannot do for
another country what that country could or should do
for itself.
So,
what role should the US play in the Middle-East?
Should it play the same role it played in helping
rebuild war-torn Germany, Japan and South Korea?
The
miracle of South Korea’s rebirth was made possible
not by winning the war with North Korea, but by the
determination of South Korea’s leaders to emulate
American success in turning their country into a
land of freedom and democracy. During two of those
hard and difficult rebuilding years I was assigned
to Korea as an advisor to the Korean military and
the local civil government; the Koreans taught me,
their advisor, an awful lot.
One
South Korean general summed up the situation for his
followers this way, “What is the difference between
South Korea and the United States? Americans have
two eyes; Koreans have two eyes. Americans have two
ears; Koreans have two ears. Americans have two
hands: Koreans have two hands. Yet, America is the
richest country in the world and Korea is a toilet.
The
difference must be found in our thinking, the way we
think through and solve problems. From now on when
any of you face a problem or have to make a
decision, first ask yourselves what would an
American do in this same situation? If you don’t
know, ask one of your American advisors for advice,
then try to do it the American way.”
Today, South Korea is one of the most prosperous and
successful countries in the world. Perhaps, in part,
because of their having adopted a national campaign
to emulate Americans; and in the process we American
advisors learned lot from those we were advising.
The
Muslim nations of the Middle-East would do well to
follow South Korea’s example to emulate the United
States. That is, if they want their people to enjoy
the liberty, freedom and democracy that America’s
citizens enjoy.
Let
Iran keep calling the US the Great Satan, and let
them say whatever else derogatory they want to say
about us. In the final analysis, whatever Iran is
doing does not work for its people, but what the US
does works for its citizens. Even a member of ISIS,
the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria, should
be able to figure that out.
Perhaps it is time for Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon
and Turkey to get into the fight
and spill a little of their own blood. They
should know better than us whether Iraq, Syria and
Afghanistan are worth fighting for and saving.
The
US and its allies shouldn’t have to do all the heavy
lifting. Until then, let us muddle through as best
we can and keep providing tactical advice and
intelligence and hopefully air strikes.
These
days the narrative being tossed about with abandon
in the White House and Pentagon is that air strikes
cannot be effective unless controlled by someone on
the ground that has visual contact with the target.
That is true if your target is in a city or a built
up area, but that is nonsense if the target is a
long line of pickup trucks, which intelligence has
been tracking for several days, barreling south down
an empty highway. I know, been there, done that.
The
Administration says that it is searching for a
comprehensive military strategy to put into place in
Iraq and not just adopt some knee jerk response.
That makes sense if time is on our side. But if city
after city falls to the cruel and evil Sunni
militants and their forces surround Bagdad and start
tightening the noose, the speed and violence of a
tactical Iraqi response may be more important than
wasting time with an all-inclusive examination and
review of the situation. The Iraqis need a quick
military response, now; a comprehensive one can come
later.
Still
no matter how it works out in the end, Iraq’s
disappearance from the face of the earth, should it
come to that, will have little impact on the United
States. We should support them all we can, within
reason, and give it our best shot. But Iraq has to
be willing to do its own heavy lifting. We can’t do
for them, no matter how much we may want to, what
they could or should do for themselves.
This
is not the time for the US to carefully lay all its
options on the table and cautiously ponder which one
to take. Now is the time to “Choose and Do;” a time
to make a decision and to follow it up with
immediate action.