Beyond War – The Anniversary of the Iraq War

Unmanned aerial drone

The anniversary of anything seems to be a time for remembering — good times (birthdays, weddings), sad times (grandmother’s funeral), momentous times (graduation).   On the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, many people are writing about the lessons we supposedly learned or failed to learn.

The Iraq War.  I was going to write about the facts and figures — about the “Shock and Awe” — about the pain and suffering — about the lies and deception — about the stupidity of it all.  But from my vantage point in Gaza, the war hasn’t ended and remembering the anniversary of its beginning seems like a useless exercise that only those who sleep soundly at night might engage in.

The rest of us sleep under the watchful buzz of drones, wondering when the next round of hostilities may start.

If you want to remember the Iraq War, the best piece to read is Iraq War Among World’s Worst Events: Ever More Shocked, Never Yet Awed by David Swanson.

But if you want to move beyond war, then I recommend No More Enemies by Deb Reich (2011) .  I spent the day, sick in bed, reading many commentaries about the Iraq War, but none of them posited a way to move forward, until I found No More Enemies.  I’m going to write a book review and add it my blog resource list.   The best way to remember the tragedy in Iraq is to do everything in our power to transform ourselves and the world around us to a world beyond war.