The Iraqi philosopher's stone, By Philippe Hebrais

Opinion, August 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

The Iraqi philosopher's stone

By Philippe Hebrais

8/31/03

Call me naive. I tend to think that people are well-meaning and they do the best they can. So, when Donald Rumsfeld says the American army is the best-trained in the world, I believe him. When he says no one can match the U.S. military's technology, I believe him. And when Mr. Rumsfeld says "the conclusion of the responsible military officials is that the force levels are where they should be," I believe him. So too, I believe Colin Powell when he says "competent control of a large military organization, [...] that's what U.S. leadership brings to the coalition."

I believe them as well when they say they want more help from other countries.

But what kind of help? Surely, adding more troops, adding less competent, less trained, less technologically advanced troops, surely, adding international troops is not what is needed. So exactly what kind of help does the coalition need?

General Abizaid has said they need more intelligence on the ground. But that's not something the international community can provide. So how can America's friends help? How are we to transmute the Iraqi lead into gold? What philosophical ingredient is missing from the Iraqi equation?

Might it be legitimacy that is lacking? But whose legitimacy? Americans see the invasion of Iraq as legitimate; they felt threatened by Saddam and feared for their survival as a people. Others disagree. Legitimacy, they say, has to be handed down by a higher entity. I think that, in the end, the only legitimacy that matters is the one perceived by the Iraqis themselves and frankly, I can't say what's legitimate in their eyes, neither can anyone else. Until the Iraqis have found their voice, it will be difficult to ask them what might make the occupation legitimate in their view.

So what's else might we add to the mix? Strategy? Competent administration? Nation-builders? It seems these are the only ingredients that have not been thrown in yet.

It is at this point that my thoughts turn to Machiavelli's Prince. In essence, he recommends that, after a brutal but brief invasion, the occupier settle in the conquered capital and marry into the most notable and respected family of the vanquished. He argues that people will forget quickly the pain and hardship of the invasion, and forever praise the wisdom of the victor who can appreciate the value of his new subjects, their culture and their lifestyles. Although Machiavelli is talking about conquest, I think his point applies as well to occupation.

No, I don't mean to say George Bush should marry one of Saddam's daughters.

I do mean to say that the strategy of an occupier must include strong measures to restore people's sense of pride. I mean to say that nation-building is about building up a people's identity. Nobody wants to work for a foreign occupier who does not appreciate your value as a people. If you acknowledge their value, the country will build itself.

Therefore, I suggest that the missing ingredient is pride. Pride in Iraq's rich society. Pride in it's unique mix of Islamic and secular values. Pride in it's history. Perhaps, more than anything else, it is pride that the resistance is fighting for. By continuing their resistance against an overwhelming invader, they seek to regain the pride they lost in a swift military defeat.

How might the international community help build up this pride nation in a more constructive way? I don't know the answers, but perhaps investing in Iraq's culture might help. By investing in Iraq's museums, it's universities, it's Islamic shrines and pilgrimage sites the international community could show that it values Iraq's cultural heritage and its unique historical and sociological importance, help restore their sense of pride and get them back on the path to independence.

-- Philippe Hebrais mailto:hebrais@reefedge.com Security Architect http://members.ispwest.com/hebrais

While celebrating that everybody on earth is only six handshakes from us, we need to accept that so are their problems and vulnerabilities. -- Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).