Lessons from Iraq, What Lessons Seni Maziola?

Seni Maziola's article "Lessons from Iraq" is pathetic. He attempts to draw parallel between Iraq and Solomon Islands' situations and in doing, he brought up some ridiculous charges and innuendos and presenting them as facts and credible analysis. This is an example of the decaying level of understanding amongst our people, students and leaders likewise. The failure to present adequate analysis of crisis; analysis that are based on facts and not emotions, is prevalent today in our society. Objective analysis is not an easy task. However, to write to a national newspaper and presenting to the nation thing baseless accusations in order to tarnish other people's reputation, is indeed cheap.

The fact that my reply to this Maziola is more likely to be thrown out by the Solomon Star like they always do to sensitive letters, I decided to just reply to it on my blog.

First of all, Maziola misrepresented the the whole Titinge issue in an attempt to compare RAMSI soldiers to US/NATO soldiers in terms of failure and using of excessive force. After seven years in SI, Maziola should now have, at least, a fair knowledge of RAMSI operations. Maziola should also know that RAMSI soldiers are far from US/NATO soldiers by comparing combat operations and outcomes. I'll come back to this later in this article, but let first address the issues raised in Maziola's article:

"Our problem of violence and law and order, can never be erased neither stopped by military firepower nor whatever technology under the sun man could ever muster." (Maziola)

If Maziola's contention is based mainly on our social problems or issues in general, he is absolutely right. No social problems in the world can be quenched or quelled by armed soldiers and that's a fact. However, if his article focuses on the ethnic crisis in relation to the peace keeping operation in Solomon Islands, then he is dead wrong. There is no doubt that RAMSI had ended the ethnic crisis and put to rest the chaos and anarchy that were ripe in town prior to its arrival. It had thwarted every criminal ring around Guadalcanal and Honiara through peaceful means and arrested their leaders who are now in jail; some being convicted, others still on the list. RAMSI brokered a peace deal with both sides resulting in the successful returning and destruction of fire-arms used by both militant groups. RAMSI also brought back investors, businesses and other operations and restored peace in Solomon Islands. Thus, the argument above is rather misleading.

Secondly, Maziola's analysis of the Iraqi war and the US "counterinsurgency" policy, indeed flawed. I have written extensively about the 'War Against Terror', the invasion of Iraq, and the 'Counterinsurgency' and I don't want to repeat myself, but I am going to say this; the invasion of Iraq was, to many Liberal Democrats in America and nations outside America, simply "irrelevant" to the 'WAT'. The whole invasion gave birth to a score of conspiracy theories that can easily debunked if one is equipped with sufficient necessary information.
In truth, conspiracy only appeals to those lacking in proper knowledge of the circumstances. , However, the saddest thing is that there's conspiracy about pretty much anything, including Jesus and the Bible, and yes Global Warming. Everyone has the right to also write about anything, but not everyone is privy to information and scholarly analysis about every circumstances. Those abusing this freedom often mislead the unlearned.
Take this statement for instance:

Besides the failure to find any weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the US dethroned Saddam Hussein’s Baathist’s regime and its monopoly on force in Iraq, but they failed miserably to fill the resulting power vacuum of which the consequence was anarchy. (Maziola)

On face value, this is a very powerful argument. However, Maziola should know that it is not a function of a peace-keeping force organize that is to organize a domestic government. That is interfering with the function of any particular country. A peace keeping force only paves ways for that country to established itself. Hussein was a dictator whose torture chambers were discovered everywhere in Iraq who had murdered millions of people in cold-blood. The failure to form a government lies in the hands of government leaders, not the US or NATO. This is the same argument that anti-RAMSI people in Solomon Islands have always raised in the media.
This is why Solomon Island's Prime Minister in 2006 kicked the Australian High Commissioner out of Solomon Islands. Maziola probably forgot that our government accused RAMSI and the AHC of meddling in the domestic affairs of Solomon Islands. For that reason, it would be rather stupid for US/NATO to form a government for Iraq.
Besides, Iraq had adopted democracy since 2003 and two Prime Ministers led two different governments since the invasion of Iraq. They were elected by their own people, but the current situation is not any one's fault; it is the fault of parliament members who have their own political and party differences. It is not unique to Iraq, its a democratic process. So to accuse US of not creating a government for Iraq is indeed laughable.