Sunday, September 12, 2004

Iraq War: Pulling out

I just came across a pamphlet that John Kenneth Galbraith did in 1967, called How to Get Out of Vietnam.  This paragraph struck me as being very relevant.  Just substitute "Iraq" for "Vietnam" in the last sentence, and it could have been written today:

A country can change course and correct miscalculations without damage to its prestige.  We did in Cuba in 1961.  So a year and a half later, did the Soviets.  The British, French, Dutch, and Belgians all once intended to remain in their dependent states and fight to the last against the handful of agitators (as they saw it) who sought to throw them out.  All were once told by their conservatives and traditionalists that to yield was unthinkable.  All changed course and withdrew.  All gained from the decision.  All would have invited endless sorrow and even disaster had they heeded the counsel of those who urged staying on - who wanted a military solution.  Individuals can also cut their losses as, hopefully, more and more of the past supporters of this misadventure, military and civilian, will now do.  To continue to invest in error is the only unforgivable mistake.  So let everyone now agree on limiting losses, national and personal, in Vietnam.

No comments: