Our nation-building soldiers deserve unstinting support

Miranda Devine argues that Our nation-building soldiers deserve unstinting support. She appears to base this on three points.

1. John Howard says that things are improving in Iraq
2. Major General Jim Molan says that things are improving
3. A recent poll shows that Iraqis wants the multinational force to stay

Ms Devine concludes by writing:

It is a worthwhile mission our soldiers want to do.

My problems with this piece by Ms Devine are:

1. The Iraqis want the multinational force to stay.
2. The soldiers want to stay to complete the job
3. Sloppy attribution

Poll shows Iraqis Wants Troops to Stay

Ms Devine cites a poll.

Even in Iraq, while the coalition troops are unpopular, most people polled this month don't want them to leave until security is restored.

The poll of 2212 Iraqi adults across the nation by the BBC, USA Today and the American ABC network found that 67 per cent believed foreign troops should stay in Iraq until security is restored, the government is stronger and Iraqi forces can operate independently.

The poll Ms Devine refers to could be Ebbing Hope in a Landscape of Loss Marks a National Survey of Iraq via Polls show Iraqis live surrounded by violence, distrust US. P.7 of this report says:

Worsening views of U.S. and other forces in Iraq tracks the deterioration of conditions in the country. In the first ABC News poll in Iraq, in February 2004, 51 percent of Iraqis opposed the presence of U.S. forces on their soil. By November 2005 that jumped to 65 percent. Today, it’s 78 percent.

But how to proceed is complicated. Even as they express discontent with U.S. forces, Iraqis are equivocal about their departure – a reasonable compunction, given the uncertainty of what might follow. Just over a third (35 percent) favor immediate U.S. withdrawal, peaking at 55 percent of Sunni Arabs – fewer than might be expected given this group’s nearly unanimous anti-Americanism. About four in 10 – Sunni and Shiite alike – say U.S. forces should remain until security is restored.

“Leave now” sentiment is up, but not vastly, from 2005 – 26 percent then, vs., again, 35 percent now.

Emphasis Mine

This contradicts what Ms Devine says. She could be refering to another poll that I am unable to find.

There is another poll called PUBLIC ATTITUDES IN IRAQ - FOUR YEARS ON - MARCH 2007 also via Polls show Iraqis live surrounded by violence, distrust US. I am unable to determine if this is the poll that Ms Devine refers to.

In response to Q2. And thinking ahead, do you believe that the security situation in Iraq will get better or worse in the immediate weeks following a withdrawal of Multi National Forces? (p.4), the responses from 5019 Iraqis was:

A great deal better (5)	1447	29%
A little better (4)	1194	24%
A little worse (2)	763	15%
A great deal worse (1)	565	11%
Stay the same (3)	285	6%
Don't know/Refused	579	12%

So, in this second poll, 53% of Iraqis think they will be better off if the multinational forces leave.

Aust Soldiers Want to Stay in Iraq

Aside from the Major General, there is no evidence presented to support the assertion that Australian troops want to stay in Iraq to complete the job.

Maj Gen Molan (DFJ No. 171, p. 14) writes that:

So there must be the tightest link between national interest and military action. If force has to be used, then soldiers must be prepared to die for vital national interests. That is the warrior’s contract. All of us who went to Iraq agreed to this contract.

Ms Devine would appear to be of the opinion that decision to use is irrecoverable. However, Australia is a democracy and the people has the ultimate responsibility for the actions of the nation. If the ADF is used, then we must give consent. And when that consent is withdrawn, the ADF must desist and withdraw.

The ADF exists to serve the nation, not the nation to serve the ADF.

Unfortunately, the command and control of the ADF is not perfect. There is a problem in the chain of command: what the people want is not carried out by the government of the day.

Indeed, the Australian have never directy given consent either to war or peace. These decisions have always been given by our betters.

Sloppy References

Ms Devine says that:

In a speech late last year to the Chief of Army's annual military history conference in Canberra, and in an article at the same time in the Australian Defence Force Journal, Molan was reasonably upbeat about prospects in Iraq in the new phase of the war.

The article Ms Devine is refering to is at Nº 171 - 2007 (1.19Mb) starting at p.8. (This is wrongly attributed as being published in 2007.) Ms Devine does quote accurately from this publication.

The second sloppy reference is to the opinion poll. See above for details.

Conclusion

Ms Devine cites a poll that says Iraqis want the multinational force to stay. I found two (2) other opinion polls from last month that contradict this.

The Australian people should decide whether the ADF stays or leaves Iraq not the Iraqis.

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