Discussing proposed amnesty conditions for Iraqi insurgents, the post Amnesty-Expediencey-Failure at Badger Blog Alliance catches my attention with this statement. “This is a slap in the face to the people who shed their own blood and gave their lives so the Iraqis could come to terms - in peace.” I disagree.
The word amnesty has become contentious in conjunction with the debate over immigration control and illegally present residents. For the problem of ending the violence in Iraq, however, amnesty is probably an essential requirement for achieving peace. Despite the despicable way the press has covered the war in Iraq, a better society is being created by political methods under American military protection. The violence will end when the political opponents of the new government cease fighting and join the political process.
Perhaps a better word than amnesty would be forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of our core western values and forgiveness is what ends conflict. Iraq is subduing internal insurgency in a society that has been ruled by power rather than rule of law, therefore, it is absolutely essential the insurgents believe an honest offer that if they stop fighting, they will not be pursued and persecuted. A cycle of violence ends when both the victors and vanquished accept the reality of past events and agree not to pursue retribution. This is a truth Abraham Lincoln knew and Republicans should understand.
To bestow amnesty and mercy upon political insurgents removes their last major reason to continue fighting. Forgiveness is what differentiates the new government from Saddam’s oppression. Personally, I believe there is no better way to honor the sacrifice of our troops than to insure a permanent peace results from their actions.
