Letter to Aljazeera
Tuesday, June 28th, 2005I was looking through my sent items for an email to a friend. While looking I found an email that I had sent to the webmaster of Aljazeera in April of 2004. I thought I would post it here.
To whom it may concern,
I am just an American student who is watching what has been happening in Iraq as of late. I have no connection to the US government or any other groups that concern Iraq.
I am not going to argue about whether I think that the war is right or wrong. That is not the issue I wish to speak about, but for the record I think it was a bad idea. Now I think that the most important thing for Iraq is to do what is best for its citizens. The war is already happening and it is very unlikely that the US will back down regardless of what happens. In the end Iraq will be given back to the Iraqis, but maybe with a government that is not what the people want.
I urge everyone to work within the system that is being imposed by the US. Let me give you an example. I do not like president Bush. Despite this, I do not wish to undermine the government or have him impeached. I know that the overall long term stability of the government is extremely important. What I will do is vote against him when given the chance.
I perceive that many Iraqis fear that the government that the US will set up may be a puppet government. This may be true at the onset, but if the majority of Iraqis begin to work within the system, the rest of the world will take notice. If the government does not allow you to elect those who you desire to run the country, then the UN and many countries will become furious with the United States.
In the end I guess that I’m saying that sometimes it is best to look at the long term. The ends do not always justify the means; however, some compromise may be justified. The longer that the violence continues, the harder and more violently the US will fight. It’s like two brothers fighting and both are too stubborn to arrive at a satisfying conclusion. If the Iraqis could be the bigger smarter brother and work within the imposed system to change it so that it is fair and really represents the people, I have no doubt that the world will applaud you and life will be better for the Iraqis. In the end you will not have been dominated by the US. What will have happened is that you showed us that you are bigger and smarter than we are.
Just a little disclaimer. I do not mean to offend anyone with this letter. I also am relatively uninformed about many aspects of the culture of Iraq. I wrote this out of genuine concern and a desire for peace. I hate war, and am upset when I hear of the deaths that have come out of it Iraqi, US, or otherwise. This is a message of goodwill.