Difference of Opinions

Iran Promises to Help Iraq in Ending Violence There

Nov. 27 – In a meeting with the Iraqi president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to stop the rising violence in Iraq. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, stated in a recent press conference, “The Iranian government and people will stand by their brothers in Iraq and will do anything to help bring peace into Iraq… A safe, developed and strong Iraq is better for Iran and also for the region. ” Iran is held in high regard with the Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, as well as the Iraqi population. Iraqi citizens lived in Iran during the rule of Saddam Hussein, creating close ties between the two countries. President Talabani feels as though Iran is needed to bring peace having this to say, “We seriously need Iran’s help to restore stability and security.” Iran also invited Syria to join in the effort in an attempt to boost its influence. It is surprising to see how little people appreciate all that the American military has contributed over there.

The US has other plans for Iraq. Rumsfeld, announcing his resignation just weeks ago, recently proposed major adjustments for Iraq. One of his suggestions would be punishing provinces that failed to cooperate. They would do this by withdrawing security and assistance. Rumsfeld told reporters, “Stop rewarding bad behavior, as was done in Falluja when they pushed in reconstruction funds, and start rewarding good behavior.” After an American offensive attack, Falluja was left devastated which found America with no other options then to rebuild or evacuate the city. Since then, the city is considered one of the more stable districts in the province. Rumsfeld, along with other military leaders, suggest calling in reserves for more support in Iraq. What ever the strategy may be, one thing is clear, Iran and Syria are not included.

The current situation most easily relates to Germany right after WWII. After the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany, both America and the Soviet Union were occupying the country. America, with the assistance of the United Kingdom and France, form Western Berlin while the Soviet Union formed Eastern Berlin. As time passed, the dissimilarity of their politics separated the two territories of the country. With the construction of the Berlin Wall and the incident at Checkpoint Charlie, the connections between the two sectors of Berlin were complete severed.

With more countries involving themselves with Iraq, the ideas of how it should be dealt with will differ as well. Amidst the different theories and plans, the country will split even more than it has already, particularly when Iran, one of the members of the Axis of Evil, is engaged.