The U.S. in Iraq …

Christian Century, July 27, 2004 by Bernard Kern

THE EDITORIAL for May 18, "Course correction," needs a 180degree course correction. Tim assertion is made that "the U.S. can't abandon Iraq. The pottery principle applies here: if you break it, you own it."

What we have to make clear to no one but ourselves is that we do not have the wisdom, the moral authority or the credibility to fix what we have broken. We act as though we own Iraq and have a mandate to shape its destiny in our own image. A question in common currency today" is: "Are the Iraqis better off today than they were a year ago?" The question itself reveals our ethnocentricity.

We need to withdraw immediately, admit to the world that we have made a tragic mistake, and ask the international community to assist Iraq in reconstruction. By exiting Iraq we relinquish all control. Hopefully, those nations that advocate nonviolent intervention will step up to the plate. Can confession and humility pave the way for an authentic course correction, or is our hubris too strong to allow for that?

Bernard Kern

North Richland Hills, Tex.