... but in lives lost and saved. It can be difficult to calculate the number of lives saved, but an end result of going to war must be lives saved. The Iraq War can be used as an example. Under Saddam, across his 30+ years in power, his regime killed an average of 1000 civilians every month. That statistic does not include those murdered by common criminals, nor troops killed in combat. It does not include the number tortured by the regime. It is only the number of civilians killed by the Saddam Government. ((This is not to say that this is the only factor that should be considered. National Security Interests must be a factor, but this is one factor that should weigh in.))
At present, we cannot calculate the number of lives saved by US actions in Libya. We do know that the 30 days of dithering cost thousands of lives. We can anticipate that if Qaddafi duck prevails, not only will more lives be lost in Libya, but also that he will ramp up international terrorist actions. We know that he killed hundreds of Americans in the 80's and trained Charles Taylor who killed tens of thousands of Liberian civilians. Qaddaffi has a history of spreading secular terrorism and tyranny, as did Saddam.
How many lives are saved by US actions in Iraq? At least 750/month, but one could argue 1000/month or 3000/month. It is harder to calculate how many US Civilian lives or European lives have been saved, but given that there has been no major attack on US Civilians since 9/11 and Al-Qaeda is mostly defeated in Iraq, one could argue, that number is between 100 and 200/year. How much are those lives worth? Are civilian lives worth more? Are children's lives worth more? Are women's lives worth more? How much value does one place on an Iraqi being able to say that Maliki is an idiot without fear of being tortured or killed?
In the post-Petraeus era, ALL crimes, acts of terror, and other violent deaths amount to 250 to 500/month in Iraq. In our sloppiest months, accidental civilian deaths were barely double digits and today the Iraqi government does not purposely kill civilians. Hence, we have reduced government deaths of civilians in Iraq by about 1000/month and terrorist murders of civlians by 2750 to 3000/month while reducing the international number of AQ and Iranian terrorists by thousands. There is still a war going on in Iraq between AQ and the Government and a political battle between Iranian backed Islamists and Iraqis, but we have saved lives in Iraq.
How does killing violent people save lives? Killing one suicide bomber can save between 1 and 1000 civilians. It depends on his target. Killing one mastermind can save thousansds. Killing a gun-wielding terrorist saves the number of civilians he would have killed over the life of his career. Capturing these same terrorists can have a shorter shelf-life, depending on the political spectrum. In the catch and release world of today's politics, it may pull him from his murderous ways for as little as a few days. In years past, it may have had an effect of preventing his murders for years, as he languished in the paradise of Gitmo or the hellholes of Iraqi, Saudi, or Egyptian prisons.
With a great number of Gitmo alums returning to terrorism, it would be hard for anyone to claim that terrorists can be reformed. It could be they are upset that they were yanked from an island paradise with catered, made to order meals, and expensive dates, and sent back to desert mountain caves to suffer 130 degree heat and 0 degree cold. Or it could be that they've hated and murdered for so long that they've become addicted to it. But the #2 AQ Leader in Yemen is a Gitmo Alum, and that is not a result of living in Cuba for a few years. He was an AQ terrorist before he went to Gitmo and he's an AQ terrorist now.
The oppressed remember who helped and who didn't for at least a generation of freedom. The Czechs still remember that America did not sign off on giving their nation to Hitler, as did France, Britain, and Russia in the late 1930's. The old Germans and old Koreans still remember American kindness and valor in saving them from tyranny. The Danes remember America's sacrifices against the Nazis to return their freedoms. The Kuwaitis still prefer America for saving them from Saddam. For decades Iraqis and Afghans will remember that we gave them freedom, pencils, and candies, while fighting our common enemies.
The Libyans too are grateful for what little we have done. It is not simply the right thing to do to save civilian lives against a tyrannical dictatorship, but if done the right way for the right reasons, will lead to long term good will towards America by the Libyan people and future Libyan government. That is, if the POTUS will reach down and grab a pair, instead of trying to avoid leadership.
Stumble It!
