PRAGOTI

 The war which was started on fictitious evidence of Iraq possessing Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) destroyed the life of ordinary Iraqi. Even going by the official figures in last seven years of American occupation some 70,000 Iraqis are killed. The secular fabric of Iraqi society was purposely smashed which resulted into ethnic conflicts and presently it is the hurdle for peace and tranquillity.
 
 
 
 
 
Nobel Prize committee in its press release while declaring the peace prize for 2009 had mentioned that, “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people”.   Many opposed the idea of giving Nobel Prize for peace to American President in just one year of his tenure, with no remarkable achievements.  Mr. Barack Obama, the first black President has made a history when he occupied White House by massive support of American public. The victory of Mr. Brack Obama had symbolic and practical connotations. In the symbolic sense it was a triumph of struggle of millions of African American people who fought against the discrimination in the US. On the other hand it was the defeat for the neo-conservative policies of Mr. George W. Bush and his alike. One should not forget that national security and fight against terrorism after 9/11, was made a pretext to start the war in Iraq and when the invasion was announced it had the public support. Mr. Obama deserves applaud for his consistent campaign against the Bush regime and Bush doctrine, yesterday when he announced that, “Operation Iraqi Freedom is over”, it was a relief for the people around the world.
 
The war which was started on fictitious evidence of Iraq possessing Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) destroyed the life of ordinary Iraqi. Even going by the official figures in last seven years of American occupation some 70,000 Iraqis are killed. The secular fabric of Iraqi society was purposely smashed which resulted into ethnic conflicts and presently it is the hurdle for peace and tranquillity.  Although, the President Obama has only announced the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, lot have to follow. The non-combatant American military personnel will remain in Iraq, and there are many private American security companies with sizeable presence in the country.  This also need attention and until international community are involved in the peace building process of Iraq the desired result will not be achieved.  The calling of combat troops is just a small step which needs to be followed by other concrete actions.  Still, the decision is going to have a significant impact not only on Iraq but on the entire Middle East.
 
George Bush, while advocating the war on Iraq also made assertions that dislodging of Saddam Hussain is necessary for peace in Middle East. Mr. Bush claimed that the war is going to create a new era of democracy in the region.   Bush and his associates was exposed completely when Iraq war lead to different kind of problems in the  region. On the contrary calling of all combat operations by the US forces in Iraq may going to influence the coming peace talks between Palestinian and Israeli, and will ease the tension with Iran to an extent.  This also proves that neo-conservative program of Mr. Bush was nothing but a personal agenda of his allies. Peace and sustain peace cannot be established by war, and that too by using false logic and fraudulent evidences.
 
Afghanistan is another country where America needs to replicate its decision of Iraq.  President Obama mentioned Afghanistan in his speech which he delivered while announcing the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. He said, “As we approach our 10th year of combat in Afghanistan, there are those who are understandably asking tough questions about our mission there. But we must never lose sight of what’s at stake.  As we speak, Al Qaeda continues to plot against us, and its leadership remains anchored in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan". He was very right in his assessment that terror networks in Afghanistan are very much active, but it is not a different case. What the US has to realize, which it still evading, that the role of regional players, international community and of the UN is equally relevant in the conflict areas. In the case of Afghanistan, involvement of Iran, Russia, China and India is important.   America has to accept that multi-polar world order in the only solution of the problems which has gripped different regions of the world.   Active involvement of other countries with divergent view of world politics will democratize the international system and roots of conflict will be reduced.  In case of Afghanistan European countries already stared withdrawing with Dutch calling back its combat troops from 1 August 2010.  Poland, Canada and Spain are also reluctant for any extension of their commitment in Afghanistan.  In these circumstances it is more imperative that the US should take steps to involve the regional players in Afghanistan, rather than increasing its own troops.
 
In last, few are terming the decision of Mr. Obama of calling the combat troops for Iraq as a compulsion of domestic politics. The next Presidential election of US is in November 2012, and Mr. Obama needs to deliver something on his much propagated differences with Mr. Bush on Iraq and Afghanistan.  Even going by this argument Mr. Obama deserves praise because for Mr. Bush war was the instrument of domestic politics and for Mr. Obama it is peace.