Letter: The mind-boggling cost of war

Mon, 03/24/2008 1:10 AM  |  Reader's Forum

Thank you Rizal Sukma, The Jakarta Post, March 18, for pointing out what the world already knows i.e. that the Iraq invasion is a dragging millstone around the neck of U.S. and that their blunder will continue to cost them billions and is also slowly but surely bankrupting them, having pushed the current global economy into turmoil.

Stiglitz and Bilmes book The 3 trillion Dollar war only emphasizes this fact.

At least under Saddam Iraq was a safe and secure place as he did not tolerate any opposition, least of all from terrorists, he just removed them for good.

Unfortunately, Iraq needs a strong man like him as he kept the Sunnis and Shi'ites from cutting each others throats and used extreme measures to deal with the problematic Kurds in the north and got rid of terrorists.

Many Iraqis are admitting that life was not bad at all during his bloody reign. Infra-structure was improved, he provided his people with water, electricity, health care and education. And most important of all, women had the same rights as men.

Now the country is a dangerous place to live for Iraqis and foreigners, infra-structure is destroyed, the people have no proper housing, health care, electricity, water nor education for their children. What they have is total devastation.

A change is needed in the USA; to continue the current political agenda is suicide. Let us hope that Americans will cast the right vote because whatever happens in the U.S. will have a snowball effect around the world.

LYNNA VAN DER ZEE-OEHMKE
Bogor, West Java

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