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Long-term consequences of Iraq must be weighed

The release of the Iraq Study Group's recommendations Dec. 6 may prove to be an important turning point for American policy in Iraq. The bipartisan committee, headed by former Secretary of State James Baker III and former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton, effectively confirmed that the United States' policy goal in Iraq is no longer to win, but rather to withdraw in a manner that is politically acceptable.

If the commission's findings do, in fact, mark the beginning of the end of large-scale American involvement in Iraq, it will also mark the end of a fairly seminal event for our generation. Since the spring of 2003, the conflict in Iraq has been a fixture in many students' political perspectives throughout high school and college. Indeed, the increased number of political science and history majors across the country throughout the past five years speaks to the paradigm shift in political consciousness that has occurred in the Iraq war generation. Moreover, some Miami University students have been personally affected by the war, either through their own military service or through the service of a friend or relative.

The commission's findings could potentially provide the president with a door through which he could extricate American forces in the manner of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's "peace with honor" strategy; however, this does not seem to be the course Washington is embracing. According to President Bush, troop withdrawal is not essential and a military success is still viable. "I believe we will prevail," he said Dec. 7 during a news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. President Bush has also made it known that he resists the commission's recommendation to withdraw most troops from Iraq. His comments suggest that this generation will continue to come of age during the conflict abroad in Iraq.

As Washington contemplates its next course of action, the long-term consequences of the war are becoming increasingly apparent. Domestically, the extent to which the war has been a polarizing issue has directly exacerbated partisan politics and siphoned attention and resources away from important domestic issues. Another threat lies in the consequences associated with a destabilized Middle East. In the meantime, Iraqis will continue to wake up to a world riddled by bombings, kidnappings and murder, while facing the looming specter of a devastating civil war. Perhaps the war will serve as a reminder that politics has very real costs.