...is protection of people's rights. That applies to any government. Even corrupt governments exist to protect the rights of a very select few individuals.
Being as the US tends towards idealism, at least publicly, the purpose of any government established in Iraq with US assistance would be to protect the rights of as many Iraqi nationals as possible -- even the rights those who refuse to accept the legitimacy of said government. Perhaps the factions you mention would resort to extreme violence in their protest against the government being established. Sadly, so be it. If and when they do so, the individual members of such activist groups can expect to be branded as outlaws and to be hunted down, rounded up, tried, and punished if they are found guilty. Such punishment may even be terminal in nature -- that depends on the government established and the laws it passes and honors.
However, if the government established in Iraq is established in keeping with the proclaimed idealism of the US, such punishment will be meted out with due process of law in every case. That is the distinguishing factor -- not genocide, but law.
Would that result in peace? For most of Iraq's population, yes, it probably would. But, even in the States, violence is a daily occurrance for a regrettable number of people. For the victims of such violence, "peace" could well be seen as a questionable usage of the term. But, however peaceful or not it may be, that condition is not bought "at any price". The price tag isn't even all that exhorbitant -- simply a constitutional government limited in its powers and held accountable for its actions (at least, held accountable often enough to present an illusion of restraint).
Hold faith, Peace_man; most people generally want nothing more than for one day to follow the next without too much pain, suffering, or inconvenience. There are always extremists and outlaws, but, most often, they are actually a very small percentage of the population regardless of how large a percentage of media coverage they may garner for themselves. Those two factors lead me to believe that Iraq will have peace, and probably before the decade is out. You might say I have a deep abiding faith in the mediocrity and laziness of mankind; one can always rely on them to keep people from investing too great an effort in upsetting a comfortable status quo. |
