Consider this a study in contrasts.
Ten years ago, the United States established a military presence in Bosnia in response to the civil war that had erupted between Serbs, Croats, and Muslims in the midst of the collapse of the pseudo-nation of Yugoslavia. Today, comes news that the three ethnic groups have finally agreed on an accord to govern the divided nation.
By contrast, we stand today 2 years and 8 months from the invasion of Iraq. Since that time, a dictator has been deposed, two democratic elections have taken place, and a Constitution has been approved.
And yet the media will characterize Bosnia as a success at the same time it calls the war in Iraq a failure.
Update: Welcome Salon readers. From the comments, its clear that people are misunderstanding what I said when I posted this late yesterday. I did not say that the war in Iraq is an unqualified success, although I think its absurd to ignore the successes that have occurred, especially since the beginning of this year. Elections and a new Constitution are no small thing.
What I said was that it is absurd to call the war a failure after such a relatively short period of time. If Bosnia is any indication, stabilizing Iraq is going to take time. And if you think we have any choice in the matter, ask yourself what an unstable Iraq would mean for the future of the Middle East.
H/T: Captain’s Quarters
