The View From Here . . .

This week marks the third anniversary of the Iraq war, certainly a difficult and controversial struggle, but also one with important implications for the future.

I was in France on vacation in 2003 when I heard the news of the invasion on the BBC. Initially, of course, the war went well, with Saddam Hussein out of power within three weeks. But then came a brutal insurgency which inflicted great damage on the country and lessened rather dramatically the support for the invasion, both in the United States and in Iraq. Moreover, the United States' inability to locate weapons of mass destruction in Iraq fostered suspicions about the bona fides of the United States' action. Most opinion polls in the United States now show a majority believing that entering into the war was a mistake.

While American troop casualties have been far, far lower than in Vietnam, they have still numbered over 2000. No matter where you stand on the war, it is extremely sad and difficult to lose these brave young men and women.

And mistakes unquestionably were made in the prosecution of the war. The failure to stop looting immediately after Saddam fell likely bred an atmosphere of lawlessness that helped encourage the insurgency. We also may not have had enough troops on the ground to complete an operation of this kind.

Still, there have been measurable successes as well. A brutal dictator has been deposed and put on trial. Three times in 2005, millions of Iraqis demonstrated their faith in the future by going to the polls, with the purple finger an enduring symbol of democracy. Winds of democratic change have also spread across the region, as evidenced by Syria's pullout of Lebanon.

There have been a number of hopeful signs in recent months as well. United States casualties have declined as Iraqis have taken over increasing shares of the fighting. Also, despite fears and claims that the bombing of a Shiite shrine was plunging the country into civil war, in fact the political leadership did come together to avoid widespread clashes between sectarian militias or other organized fighting.

As even a number of critics of the war concede, a pullout in the near future would likely be disastrous. It would leave a dangerous power vacuum. Moreover, it would be a sign to the world that the United States in not willing to withstand adversity in the war against terror and extremism. There has to be an exit strategy, of course, but it will not be accomplished in a short time frame.

The stakes, of course, are not just large in the United States. Mohammed Fadhil, one of two brothers writing the remarkable Iraq the Model blog from Bagdhad, offers his own perspective:

We are facing enormous and dangerous challenges and this is not unexpected because the old will not easily step down and accept the loss... The green bud looks weak and is buried in the dirt and surrounded by a tough shell but it will break through this covering, pierce the dirt and stand on its feet to announce a new era. We will not be defeated and orphans of the dark past will get what they deserve and our sacrifices and the sacrifices of those who stand with us shall not go in vain, our sacrifices will pave an easier road for those want to follow us when they decide it's time for them to change. And yes...Iraq will be the model.

We can only hope that Mohammed Fadhil is right.