June 27 was World Refugee Day, and sadly, for the second year in a row, the number of refugees worldwide has increased. Much of the increase, according to the United Nations agencies that work with displaced people, is due to war begun by the United States in Iraq.
Five million Iraqis have fled their homes, and more than 2 million have left the country seeking safety. The U.S. policy on Iraq has created a humanitarian catastrophe.
It is time for a new course in Iraq, starting with announcing the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and bases. Military solutions have not worked and will not work to solve a humanitarian crisis. Instead, our government should reinvigorate diplomatic and reconstruction efforts to ensure that funding for humanitarian relief, reconciliation and an Iraqi-led reconstruction will begin to fulfill the needs and hopes of Iraqis.
With that course correction, the United States could play a positive, constructive role in the Middle East and help the lives of millions of people around the world.
— Edward Sacco
Swannanoa
Mr. Sacco, how many lives are you willing to sacrifice with the immediate withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. As for military solutions not working, that does not appear to be supported by the facts. A dangerous despot was removed, a people liberated, a terrorist insurgency well underway to being completely controlled and removed, 15 points of an 18 point Congressional mandate against the Iraq government already met. The list of facts go on and on. The military surge was by all accounts a great success in spite of the insulting and denigrating accusations by Democrats in the House and Senate against our commanders in the field. It is time for the detractors to start facing the facts instead of regurgitating this constant misinformation. Even your candidate, Obama, recognizes (at least in appearance)that doing a cut and run would have disasterous consequences.