The War Is Over?

The United States military has pulled its combat troops out of Iraq. Aside from changing the discussion from the Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site, it signifies the end of one era and the beginning of another.

The combat phase of American involvement is over. But it will be awhile before we see whether today's events lead to a lasting peace. Bear in mind that when the armistice ending the Korean War was officiated, many were unsure if it would hold. Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, once said something revealing - though he had served in Korea after the war ended, he was aware at the time that a second war could begin at any moment. It took several years before it became apparent that a lasting peace had been established in Korea, even though the country remains divided into two political units. If today's withdrawal is the prelude to a lasting peace in Iraq, we will not know that for quite some time.

Iraq in 2010 is different from Korea in 1953, though. Korea had two established governments on either side of the armistice line, for example; Iraq can't even form one. Moreover, Iraq is prone to different factions trying to undermine each other. Sunni and Shiite militias can be expected to fight for any kind of advantage, even as politicians in Baghdad try to form a coalition based on the parliamentary election results from March. Plus, there's the obvious threat of al-Qaeda's presence. Meanwhile, the fifty thousand American servicemen remaining in Iraq may be restricted to helping to train the national police force and the military and advise whoever ends up governing the country, but the scenario of them having to fight terrorists and factionalists in self-defense remains a possibility. As attention focuses to Afghanistan and as President Obama hopes to make sure Iraq is stable, it's important to remember that while the war may be over, the peace has yet to be won.