Bring them home
I am, and always have been, a supporter of the U.S. military. I have had friends and family in every branch of the military, at all ranks and rates from seaman recruit to five-star general. Two of my proudest possessions are two Purple Hearts, one belonging to my grandfather, the other belonging to my uncle, both Marines. I am, and always will be, a cheerleader for the United States Marine Corps.
I state this only so that you will understand that I do not say this lightly: The policy of Pax Americana enforced by our troops stationed around the world is not only a failure, it is leading to the corruption of the American military.
There is no question there are various countries and non-governmental organizations at war with America. Official voices of Iran, al-Qaida, the Palestinian Authority, Hezbollah and Saudi Arabia have all declared themselves to be at war with the United States. Much to the shame of the Bush administration, these declarations have been brushed aside as mere diplomatic noise even as American soldiers, officials and civilians are killed.
I was willing to support an open and declared war on Iraq and other self-declared enemies of America as a means of ending this clash of civilizations that began in the 1970s - or 1950s if you view the post-independence violence that took place in India as the rebirth of jihad. War is the health of the state, true, but unlike the tango, it does not require two. However, it has become clear that the neoconservative utopians in the administration do not see this undeclared and unconstitutional war as a reactive strike in self-defense, but more as a means of reshaping the global order. I expect this attempt to work about as well as Woodrow Wilson's did in 1918.
It is not only the inevitable failure of this vision that concerns me. A military machine is a delicate creature, designed to do one thing very well - destroy the opposition. It is a well-known fact of military history that fighting troops and garrison troops are two very different things, and attempting to turn the former into the latter significantly impedes their ability to perform their primary mission.
Consider that the U.S. military accomplished its mission in Iraq - taking Baghdad and destroying the Hussein regime - with the loss of 106 soldiers in battle and accidents. Since then, the occupation has cost another 437 American lives lost to combat, accidents and suicide. Consider also that the wars for Kuwait and Afghanistan cost 247 and 76 combat deaths, respectively.
The beheading of the Hussein regime sent a powerful message to America's enemies. The subsequent elimination of the Saudi and Iranian regimes would have cost fewer American lives and been an even more powerful demonstration of American might, perhaps strong enough to bring a generation of peace. But instead, America has chosen to play Israel's futile game of one step forward, one step back, allowing its enemies to regroup in safe havens, then come back and attack troops who are pinned down like sitting ducks on orders from above. This is an old game, dating back to the Korean police action, and it has never played out well, demonstrated most clearly by the continuing threat posed by North Korea.
And the notion of bringing democratic republicanism to an Islamic tribal culture is ludicrous, particularly as our constitutional rights and liberties are being simultaneously eroded at home. Congress and the Supreme Court are far more dangerous to America than al-Qaida could ever be.
Stationing troops in 144 of the 191 U.N. member states around the world has not brought peace. History proves that no utopian vision, however sweeping, will ever bring a permanent peace. Let us then abandon visions of a global Pax Americana, bring our soldiers home, and only send them forth when war is necessary and declared. And when the war is won and the enemy is destroyed, bring the troops home again immediately. They deserve no less.
Bring them home from Germany, from South Korea and Italy. Bring them home from Kosovo, from Afghanistan and Kuwait, from Turkey, Spain, Iceland and Belgium. Bring them home from Panama, Portugal and Japan. Most of all, bring them home from Iraq. Now.
Our matchless soldiers have won the war - they cannot win the peace.