The Moral Costs of Withdrawal, Ctd

A reader writes:

Two more points on this subject.

First – the polled opinions of Iraqis about whether they want Americans to stay or leave does not matter for much. Each Iraqi who wants Americans to stay to prevent utter anarchy, but who also will look the other way when he sees an IED being planted because he fears for his life and is not willing to risk himself for an American simply does not count in any kind of moral calculus.

I have heard interviews with Iraqis who plainly state that they want Americans to stay but who also consider armed attacks on Americans to be justified. As long as most Iraqis are willing to stay on the sidelines, American troops cannot effectively quell the violence. International law and basic civility prevent us from engaging the enemy the way that other foreigners in the region – like Rome – did, by making the populace fatally responsible for violence occuring in their midst.

Secondly, it may well be true that Iraq’s neighbors – OK, Iran – can quell the violence. But we should be very concerned about the price Iran would demand for its participation. I would rather throw Iraq to its own wolves than agree to a hypothetical Iranian demand, for instance, that the US abandon Israel to the tender mercies of the region. Almost any price Iran would charge for a seemly withdrawal will be very high and come at no cost to the Iranian regime.