It has been 4 years since the U.S. destroyed the existing government of Iraq and attempted to create a nation based on a federation of disparate interests.
Although there has been a government formed under the protection of the U.S., there has been continued fighting among the various interests as well as foreign interests attempting to disrupt the process of creating a stable and independent Iraq.
Consequently, many Americans are saying that it is time to leave and let the chips fall where they may. Four years is a long time and if a stable government representing all of the interests can't be formed in that time, then perhaps it is simply not destined to happen.
To those people, I would like to mention two dates in history: September 17, 1787 and September 11, 2001.According to my calculations, the first date was 11 years after independence from Britain was declared. It took some time to finish the fighting and bring the various interests of the states together to complete and sign a Constitution.
What would this part of the world look like if everyone had decided that 4 years was enough back then?We tend to forget that new nations, like new children, take time and protection to mature... especially if someone is trying to kill them.
It has been 6 years since the World Trade Center was destroyed. A replacement has been planned... but not even started. Was 4 years too long?The distinction is pretty thin between impatience and short-sightedness.
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