Iraq five years later

The American news media is featuring "look-back" pieces this week to mark the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war. But as I read and listen, the focus seems to stay on the war as a singular event and not connected to the larger context of the Middle East and America. Tunnel vision is a common human tendency but one must unfold the big picture to determine what has and has not been accomplished. Iraq is but one battle in the global war on terrorism, it just seems like more. Al Qaeda and its satellite cells are and will continue to wage war in other countries regardless of the Iraq outcome. Leaving Iraq tomorrow with it hypothetically secure and flourishing would not be the end of the war against militant Islamism. Iraq is experiencing a slow, but steady, flushing out of al Qaeda by its own populace who have grown weary of relying on militant Islamism as a solution. They have banded together because they have seen firsthand that al Qaeda can brutalize and kill, but it can't provide jobs, education, housing, healthcare, or any meaningful future for them. Remember, al Qaeda funds itself primarily through the heroin trade. Some future. In the big picture, 2007 has been a better year for Iraqis as they slowly struggle to reform and grow economically into the largest democracy in the Middle East. Our goal should be to leave Iraq as an example to other countries across the globe who want to shed their repressive regimes and leave a brighter future to their children. Al Qaeda can only live in an atmosphere of fear and despair. Offering struggling countries a blueprint for hope and a future can go a long way in defeating radical Islamism.