What do you do when a government you helped form in a country you liberated turns around and proposes to forgive the terrorists who have been trying to kill you?
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has presented a national reconciliation plan to parliament aimed at stemming sectarian tensions and violence.
The 24-point plan offers an amnesty to some insurgents, but not those from groups who have targeted civilians.
It outlines plans to disarm militias and beef up Iraqi security forces ahead of a takeover from coalition forces.
Although the plan is still being evaluated by the U.S., it’s hard to ignore the fact that the plan clearly states that amnesty will not be offered to insurgents who have targeted civilians.
So, what about the insurgents terrorists who have targeted U.S. and Coalition troops?
And then there’s this…
Compensation will also be offered to former prison detainees “and those who were killed by Iraqi and American forces”.
Yeah, that’s right. Being pardoned isn’t enough it seems. No, the terrorists should be paid too, apparently.
And so it goes.
This is a difficult matter. The U.S. and our allies have worked hard to liberate and help start a new democracy in Iraq. Yet now that the government is formed and is exerting its power through new plans and programs for the country, it will be hard to step aside and let them do it their way. Especially when they propose asinine ideas like amnesty to killers in the hopes that the bribery will somehow miraculously stop the fighting.
Won’t that kind of be like letting the terrorists win?
Can we fully support a newly democratic, sovereign Iraq, no matter what choices they make?