Tapsearch Com EditorReconsidering the Pottery Barn Rule
January 22nd 2007 17:11
Colin Powell once said the "Pottery Barn Rule" would apply in Iraq. You broke it, you bought it. Since World War I left Germany impoverished and ripe for the Third Reich, the United States has tried to help its vanquished foes into better situations. There's a good deal of logic there.
Maybe it's time to reconsider that, though. In Iraq, it's arguable we should have settled for ousting Saddam, making sure there were no WMDs and then getting out. Saddam himself was a tradeoff, with authoritarianism and many killings but also stability -- so even in that case, we might have left Iraq better than we found it.
If prolonged involvement can fail to improve a country, there should be no rule demanding prolonged involvement after each and every invasion. In other words, break it if you have to, but don't buy it if you can't take care of it.
Discuss. (I don't feel like going on about it now.)
Maybe it's time to reconsider that, though. In Iraq, it's arguable we should have settled for ousting Saddam, making sure there were no WMDs and then getting out. Saddam himself was a tradeoff, with authoritarianism and many killings but also stability -- so even in that case, we might have left Iraq better than we found it.
If prolonged involvement can fail to improve a country, there should be no rule demanding prolonged involvement after each and every invasion. In other words, break it if you have to, but don't buy it if you can't take care of it.
Discuss. (I don't feel like going on about it now.)
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