ZARQAWI, IRAQ AND THE INSURGENCY - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY

Since the announcement of the death of Al Qaeda terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, there has been considerable speculation as to what will happen now that he has been eliminated. Additionally certain opponents to the war have called for specific action since the threat Zarqawi held by his leadership and the terrorism that he planned and executed has been obstructed by his death. Namely the opponents are suggesting in their usual rhetoric that we leave Iraq now regardless of what that leaving will cause or allow. Looking at the full picture in Iraq there are some interesting observations that can be made from an historical perspective concerning the establishment of the Iraq government, the insurgency and the death of Zarqawi. Though some will disagree with the following statement this fact still stands clear and true, The United States military and our coalition partners have made tremendous accomplishments in Iraq that are not being reported as they should. The Iraqi people have gained a country that just a few short years ago was a dictatorial regime that offered only oppression and not the first hint of freedom or liberty. Today Iraqis are free and have voted for and established a Constitution and a freely elected representative government that even as Zarqawi was meeting his just demise appointed the final two governmental positions making a fully established functional government. The United States military has performed exceptionally well despite set backs and problems that always exist in a war situation. They have also performed their duty despite critics who at times accused with falsehoods and attacks that were not in the least way supportive while claiming support for the men and women who bravely serve this country. Every war has its critics and every war has problems and being an opponent to any war is a freedom that we have in this country that should never be taken for granted nor taken away. Yet when the critics use the opposition platform to attack the men and women who fight for the very freedom that allows their opposition then it is taken to far and this applies to the media as well who refuse to report the progress and choose for political reasons to dwell only on the negative. With that said let us now look at Iraq in an historical perspective.

The Insurgency - Though there was a form of insurgency from the very beginning mostly through terrorist attacks performed by Al Qaeda and Zarqawi, the escalation began because of the Al Qaeda sponsored and Zarqawi planned attack on a mosque designed to play the different factions in Iraq against each other. His plan succeeded and the insurgency escalated with the expressed purpose of preventing the establishment of a free government. As he died, Zarqawi's plan failed as the government became fully established. Will the insurgency immediately end? No, because there are those that still want Iraq to fail become anarchy and a base of operations for international terrorism. Has Zarqawi's death hampered their efforts? Yes, because he was the mastermind and propagandist that recruited for his Jihad. Has this type of insurgency existed before? Yes, many times but I will use one example. At the end of WWII in Europe as Nazi Germany was crumbling an insurgency group call the Werewolves was established with the expressed purpose to continue the war by terrorist attacks to attempt to re- establish the Third Reich during the allied occupation. The insurgency lasted for several years after the surrender and required a large amount of allied troops to seek out and end the attacks. The first method used in the insurgency was the assassination of members of local provisional governments. They then used the bombings of churches in an attempt to rally the people behind them as they blamed the bombings on allied forces and other German factions in Germany at the time as well as attacking allied troops and German police forces to create chaos in the ranks. The terrorist tactics used by the Werewolves are similar to those used in Iraq by insurgents and Al Qaeda. Ultimately the insurgency ended with the establishment of a free government supported by the German people. Had allied troops left Germany before the government was strong enough to protect itself, the insurgency might have succeeded. The same holds true for Iraq.

The Iraqi Constitution and government - It has been just over three years since the invasion of Iraq and the end of the regime of Saddam Hussein. From an historical view point that is a drop in the bucket and an extremely quick amount of time for the Iraq people to have a Constitution and a fully established freely elected functional government. Never before in history has this much taken place this quickly. Yet in this age of sound bites and fast food, to listen to the media and the war opponents one would think that this is dragging out without any success or accomplishment. Using our own Revolution as a comparison Iraq, despite the problems has been a relatively quick and smooth transition. The Revolutionary War lasted seven years. During most of the war the majority of the people both before and after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 were not in favor of separation from British rule just an end to the disagreements between the colonies and the Crown. Most wanted to continue as they were and not in favor of the war. At one point were it not for the strength and persistence of General George Washington and the loyalty the the Colonial Army had to him and the cause the Revolution would have ended because even the majority of the Congress favored seeking a negociated settlement and remaining under British rule. When the war ended it was still another eight years before the establishment of our Constitution and the beginning of a fully functional free government and this with what most consider some of the most brilliant men ever born on this earth. I realize that our Founders were establishing something never before experienced by man, a free government by the people which laid the groundwork for all free governments that follow. Yet just three years after the invasion Iraq has a Constitution supported and voted upon by the majority of the people and a freely elected functional government.

The death of Zarqawi - Zarqawi's death though a great victory and a devastating set back for Al Qaeda and the insurgents in Iraq does not signal an end to the violence nor the terrorism within the country. The best example that I can recall from history is Admiral Yamamoto of the Imperial Japanese Navy if WWII, though not a terrorist a very important factor in the Japanese Empire and its conquest before the war and it actions during. Admiral Yamamoto was the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor and the strategic mind behind the Japanese Navy. Throughout the first two years after Pearl Harbor there was a concentrated effort by the allied forces to find and eliminate Yamamoto. In April, 1943 and opportunity presented itself discovered by military intelligence through the breaking of Japanese code. An air strike was launched to take out Yamamoto while he traveled on an inspection tour of Japanese front line bases. The air strike shot down his plane and eliminated Yamamoto. The war against Japan continued until August, 1945. Just as Zarqawi in Iraq, the loss of Yamamoto had a great impact on Japan so much so that they hid his death for more than a month, yet the Japanese continued to fight as will those who followed Zarqawi. The difference being that with Zarqawi's death his ideology of murder and terror ends where as Yamamoto was a military leader and strategist. Will Zarqawi's followers continue his ideology? To a certain extent but replacing him will not be a simple task for he followed this ideology of murder for more than 25 years.

There remains a considerable amount of work to be accomplished by both our troops and the Iraqi government. The death of Zarqawi will curtail at least temporarily some of the violence that is taking place in the country. With the intelligence information gathered in the additional 17 raids that occurred on the night of Zarqawi's death the U.S. and coalition forces should be able to capitalize on this set back for Al Qaeda creating further set backs which will be advantageous for our troops and the Iraqis. I believe that the worst is past and with the further continuing training of the Iraqi Security Forces the U.S. will continue to exercise a more supportive role. Iraq is far from finished but the light is shining brightly at the end of the tunnel.

Ken Taylor