Iraqi success would help U.S. prestige

Over the years, I have had the privilege of visiting dozens of countries, many of them after Sept. 11, 2001. With rare exceptions – a restaurateur in southern France who refused me service during a period of American-European trade tensions, rough border guards in various places of the Middle East, pickpockets in Rome and a driver who seemed determined to run me down in Shanghai – I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality and kindness of other peoples, from official hosts to strangers.

So I read with great interest Anne Applebaum’s article in the current issue of Foreign Policy, “In Search of Pro-Americanism.” Readers who wish to find that piece should visit www.foreignpolicy.com.

The main point of the article is that the United States is better liked than most people would assume. I strongly agree.

I am not saying the world is friendly. Many people dislike America and Americans for a host of reasons, some unwarranted and others justified. Further, it is easy to focus on the purveyors of anti-Americanism who, through sloganeering, ugliness and violence, wrongly become the faces of other countries, cultures and religions. In many cases, however, those rabble-rousers represent minority views.

Americans also tend to pay insufficient attention to what Applebaum calls “natural constituents” for the United States: “The British small businessman, son of a coal miner, who once admired Thatcher and has been to Florida on holiday. Or the Polish anti-communist intellectual who argued about Reagan with his Parisian friends in the 1980s and disagrees with them about the (Iraq) war now. Or the Indian stockbroker, the South Korean investment banker and the Philippine manufacturer, all of whom have excellent relations with their American clients.”

We dare not miss opportunities to nurture that constituency. Indeed, it can gather in strength if the United States undertakes international actions that earn it respect and support – for example, Washington’s aid efforts after last year’s tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean.

The opposite also is true, as the disputed intervention in Iraq has shown. But it is not too late to turn even that difficult situation into a net gain for America.

Although the situation in Iraq is grim, most Iraqis are happy that Saddam Hussein is gone and stand ready to assume the responsibilities of nation-building. Their patience with the ongoing violence and the U.S.-led military presence may have grown thin, but they have not given up hope for a free and democratic Iraq. To ensure a positive ending to the intervention saga, America must step up its efforts to help.

One immediate concern is the permanent constitution for Iraq. The United States should use its influence to encourage that the final document incorporate, at the very least, the protections set out in the interim Temporary Administrative Law – including equal rights for women. With the original rationale for the intervention – weapons of mass destruction – in shambles, the secondary agenda of delivering Iraqis from tyranny and protecting human rights has become paramount.

The interim rules contain an equal protection clause for all citizens, as well as a provision granting Iraqi women a substantial number of seats in parliament. Those kinds of guarantees should be strengthened, not weakened, in the permanent constitution.

Beyond the constitution, the United States and Iraq must step up the counter-insurgency campaign. If a significant withdrawal of U.S. forces is contemplated for next year, as various officials have suggested, the near-term taming of terrorists, disgruntled Iraqis and Saddam loyalists is critical. I still maintain that more troops, from the United States and other countries, are needed in the interim.

Finally, the United States should contemplate ways to help Iraqis who find themselves in the worst circumstances, especially the unemployed and homeless. A direct infusion of money to families, an option that could be used at any time, would help the most. Iraqis also deserve a sense of how their country’s oil wealth will be shared with individuals and communities.

If Iraq moves into its new era with better domestic security, greater fairness, democratic practices and economic opportunities, its people will thrive, and the ranks of America-boosters will swell.