Secretary Rice: Making progess in Iraq
December 13, 2005| By The Heritage Foundation
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks to The Heritage Foundation about Iraq on Tuesday.
America will remain firm in its principled commitment to create a free and secure Iraq and so advance American national security, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today at The Heritage Foundation.
“When America leads with principle in the world, freedom’s cause grows stronger. We saw this when Ronald Reagan spurned friendly dictators and supported freedom’s cause in Latin America. We saw this as well when Reagan called out the true character of the Soviet Union and liberated a democratic longing that ended the Cold War. And we are seeing this today, as the world awakens to the promise of a free Iraq.”
In an address broadcast live on C-SPAN television from Heritage’s Allison Auditorium, Secretary Rice asserted that “we will not retreat from a fight that we can and must win.”
If we back out now, she said, “we will embolden America’s enemies [and] condemn future generations of Americans to insecurity and fear.”
"I have come to Heritage today on the cusp of an historic event," she said. "Two days from now, the Iraqi people will go to the polls for the third time since January. All across Iraq today, representatives from some 300 political parties are staging rallies, they're holding televised debates, they're hanging campaign posters, and they're taking their case to the Iraqi people. They are asking for the consent of the governed."
We now have “a tremendous opportunity to have a different kind of Iraq in a different kind of Middle East.” She asked the audience to “look at what could happen if we do not finish our job, but look also at what could happen if we do finish our job.”
Since our terrorist enemies are stateless and committed to their murderous ideology, Secretary Rice continued, victory will not be abrupt as at the end of World War II. Instead, she admitted that victory is vaguer, if no less necessary: it “is the establishment of a free and democratic Iraq.”
Much of her talk focused on the international efforts to rebuild and secure Iraq.
There is a new consensus that “securing democracy in Iraq is strategically essential,” she said. “Today, the world is more united than ever in favor of a new Iraq.”
“Today, countries that previously doubted the promise of democracy in Iraq are rallying to Iraq’s side,” she said. “The Iraqi people are seizing an unprecedented opportunity to live at last in peace and in freedom. And their democratic example is inspiring impatient patriots in places like Lebanon and Egypt and the Palestinian territories--courageous men and women who are now finding ever more supporters in the international community to champion their aspirations and defend their dignity.”
Thirty countries maintain more than 22,000 troops in Iraq, though she noted that “with every passing day, Iraqis become better able to defend their country and themselves.” The Iraqis’ increased ability to fend for themselves “will enable American men and women in uniform…to return home with the honor they deserve.”
Meanwhile, Iraq is being rebuilt even as the international community works to “liberate the entrepreneurial spirit” of the Iraqi people. International organizations like the Paris Club have forgiven billions of dollars in debt, while other organizations have pledged billions of dollars in loans and aid to improve Iraqi’s infrastructure. It seems to be working, she said: the past two years have seen three times as many new businesses as under 40 years of dictatorship, while children attend hundreds of new schools with millions of brand-new textbooks.
But she said that “others, like Iraq’s neighbors, should be doing a lot more” to assist in reconstruction. “It is now time to deliver” on our promises.
Finally, Secretary Rice said Iraq is overcoming many of its old political divisions with the support of the international community. Iraq has been welcomed back into the Arab League, which like the United Nations called on Sunnis to participate in the political process and renounce terrorism.
Secretary Rice concluded her remarks with a note of gratitude: “I would like to thank all of you here at The Heritage Foundation for your continued support of America’s principled leadership in the world.”
About this event
Relevant Heritage research
- James Phillips, "Dispelling Myths About Iraq," December 12, 2005
- Tim Kane, "Is Iraq a Poor Man's War?" November 23, 2005
- James Carafano, “In Iraq, Fear Shouldn't Be Our Guide,” November 18, 2005
- James Phillips, “Firm and Patient Realism Needed in Iraq,” June 23, 2005
