Mr. Bush, you just don't get it!

Mr. Bush, you just don't get it!

Mr. President,

For the last 5 months I have refrained from writing about the illegal war waged by you in Iraq in the name of democracy. And in this period alone hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed, a "Government" has been appointed, some of the war criminals easily let off... the sad list goes on. Each and every one of your steps in a way adds to the list of war crimes committed by the coalition and their violations of the Geneva conventions. Yesterday's *release* of a photo of Saddam in his underwear was no different.

Your military released these pictures assuming that it would break the back of the Iraqi Resistance when they see "their" leader in his underwear. Now that confounds me. The USA is considered to have a smart, efficient and effective military; but it doesn't even understand what drives the people they are trying so hard to subjugate. A photo such as this does not break spirits, it only forges them. Here is what you had to say to the media about the photo:
""I don't think a photo inspires murderers. I think they're inspired by an ideology that's so barbaric and backwards that it's hard for many in the Western world to comprehend how they think."

Mr. Bush, it is because of this inability of yours to respect other nations that the US is hated as much as it is. It is this attitude of considering everyone else who is not towing the line of the US as backward and sometimes barbaric that is causing you so much grief. Different regions and different cultures have a different perspective of life and their behavior is directed by their beliefs. Saddam may be a villain to you (though the USA had no inhibitions in providing him with tons of weaponry and money in the past), but to the Iraqis and people in the region he is still a leader - a bad one may be, but still a leader. They may hate him, but they will not tolerate an outsider insulting him. An insult to one of their own is considered an insult against them. And the people in that region (as everywhere else) do not take insults lightly. And should they be insulted, they will lash back even if it is at the cost of their lives.

Don't forget that when US mercenaries were brutally killed in Fallujah, American public outcry increased only when they saw the photographs of the burning bodies and body parts of the US mercenaries hanging from bridges. Those photographs sealed the fate of Fallujah and its citizens who were mercilessly massacred. It was those photos, I must say to your credit, effectively used by your Administration, that “justified” the havoc your military unleashed in Fallujah. To a lot of people, the American response was considered barbaric because it targeted innocent civilians for the acts of the Resistance.

So now what in your infinite wisdom gives you the confidence that these insulting photographs of Saddam will not fuel the Resistance? They may not, in themselves, but add to that the reports on the way the US Military and Intelligence handled the Quran, the recent minimum sentences to your scapegoats from the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, the caught-on-tape point-blank shootings of Iraqis sometimes under the guise of mercy-killing, the lack of basic amenities, the continued siphoning of Iraqi resources and you will see why the insurgency is only growing and not declining as you hoped and continue to predict.

You just don't get it Mr. Bush. And neither does the West. Samuel P. Huntington correctly said in his book "The Clash of Civilizations": "The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do."

It is about time you understand this. And about time your people realize that the Iraqi Resistance is not fighting to restore Saddam on the throne (they don't like him much either), but to rid the illegal occupiers off their land. You said yesterday "...it's hard for many in the Western world to comprehend...". If it is so difficult for you to comprehend their acts, why don’t you just leave the Iraqis alone. They will find their destiny. They have for 5000+ years. Leave them in peace. They do not deserve this misery (Photographs at this link are gruesome but real) you are inflicting on them in the guise of democracy.

And a closing word of advice. If it is peace that you really seek, first stop your illegal wars – both overt and covert. Close your military bases across the world. It does nothing – as we saw in Uzbekistan. Then revisit your foreign policy. And stop striving for global dominance.

Peace is achieved not by exerting superiority; but by mutual co-existence. Peace be with you.