For Immediate Release
Office of the
Press Secretary
March 29, 2006
Fact Sheet: Strategy for Victory: Freedom in Iraq
 In Focus: Renewal in
Iraq
On March 29, 2006, President Bush Delivered Remarks At
Freedom House And Discussed Critical Aspects Of Our Mission In
Iraq. The President discussed the stakes in Iraq, our
efforts to help the Iraqi people overcome past divisions and form a
lasting democracy - and why it is vital to the security of the
American people that we help them succeed. Free societies are
peaceful societies, and the only path to lasting peace is the
expansion of freedom and democracy.
- The Advance Of Freedom Is The Story Of Our
Time. Just 25 years ago, there were only 45 democracies.
Today, Freedom House reports there are 122 democracies, and more
people live in liberty than ever before. Since the beginning of
2005, remarkable democratic change has occurred across the globe
in places like Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, and
Iraq. Freedom House has declared 2005 "one of the most successful
years for freedom since Freedom House began measuring world
freedom" more than 30 years ago.
Iraqis Are Working To Overcome Past Divisions
Today, Iraqis Are Working To Resolve Tensions And
Divisions That Saddam Hussein Aggravated Through Ethnic Cleansing
And Sectarian Violence. The argument that Iraq was "stable"
under Saddam - and stability is now in danger because we removed him
- is wrong. While liberation has brought its own challenges,
Saddam's removal from power was the necessary first step in
restoring stability and freedom to Iraqis.
To Prevent Iraq's Different Groups From Coming Together
To Challenge His Regime, Saddam Undertook A Deliberate Strategy Of
Maintaining Power By Dividing The Iraqi People. He brutally
repressed different Iraqi communities and pitted them against one
another. By displacing communities and dividing Iraqis, Saddam
sought to establish himself as the only force that could hold the
country together.
- No Iraqi Community Was Spared From Saddam's Campaign
Of Repression And Division. In the late 1980s, Saddam
unleashed a brutal ethnic cleansing operation against Kurds in
northern Iraq known as the Anfal campaign. Kurdish towns and
villages were destroyed, and tens of thousands of Kurds
disappeared or were killed. Chemical weapons were dropped on
scores of Kurdish villages. In Halabja, thousands of innocent men,
women, and children were killed using mustard gas and a nerve
agent. Saddam also forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of Kurds
from their homes - moving Arabs into the homes and properties of
those forced to leave. As a result, Saddam magnified tensions that
still persist.
- Saddam Waged A Brutal Campaign Of Suppression And
Genocide Against Shia In Southern Iraq. He targeted
prominent Shia clerics for assassination, destroyed Shia mosques
and holy sites, and killed thousands of innocent men, women, and
children - piling their bodies into mass graves.
- Saddam Oppressed His Fellow Sunnis. One of
the great misperceptions is that every Sunni enjoyed a privileged
status under Saddam's regime. In truth, Saddam trusted few outside
his family and tribe - installing his sons, brothers, and cousins
in key positions. Almost everyone was considered suspect - and
often those suspicions led to brutal violence. In the mid-1990s,
Saddam rounded up scores of prominent Sunnis, and many were never
heard from again.
We Know Iraqis Can Live Together Peacefully.
Iraq is a nation with many ethnic, religious, sectarian, regional,
and tribal divisions - and before Saddam, Iraqis from different
communities managed to live together. Even today, many Iraqi tribes
have both Sunni and Shia branches, and in many small towns with
mixed populations, there is often only one mosque, where Sunnis and
Shia worship together. Intermarriage is common, with mixed families
that include Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis, Shia, Turkmen, Assyrians, and
Caldeans.
The Obstacles To Democracy Are Being Overcome
To Foment Sectarian Division, The Enemy Is Employing Saddam's
Tactics - Killing And Terrorizing The Iraqi People.
- The Terrorists And Saddamists Are Failing To Stop
Iraq's Democratic Progress. The enemy tried to stop the
transfer of sovereignty. They tried to stop millions from voting
in the January 2005 elections. They tried to stop Sunnis from
participating in the October constitutional referendum. And they
tried to stop millions from voting in the December elections to
form a government under that constitution. In each case, they
failed. Every successive election has seen larger and broader
participation. The Iraqi people have made clear they want to live
in liberty and unity - and they are determined to chart their own
destiny.
- The Enemy Is Trying To Stop The Formation Of A Unity
Government. The enemy has learned they cannot succeed by
facing Coalition and Iraqi forces on the battlefield. So they
have taken their violence to a new level by attacking one of
Shia Islam's holiest sites. They blew up the Golden Mosque in
Samarra hoping to provoke the Shia masses into widespread
reprisals, which would provoke Sunnis to retaliate and drag the
nation into civil war. Despite massive provocations, Iraq has
not descended into civil war, most Iraqis have not turned to
violence, and the Iraqi Security Forces have not broken up into
sectarian groups waging war against each other. In recent weeks,
these forces passed another important test, successfully
protecting millions of Shia pilgrims who marched to the cities
of Karbala and Najaf for an annual religious holiday. In the
midst of today's sectarian tension, the ability of Iraqis to
hold a peaceful gathering of millions of people is a hopeful
sign for the future.
- There Is No Place In A Free And Democratic Iraq For Armed
Groups Operating Outside Of The Law. It is vital to Iraq's
security that the police are free of militia influence. The
Coalition is working with Iraqi leaders to find and remove any
National Police leaders showing evidence of militia loyalties.
American battalions are partnering with the Iraqi national police
to teach them about the role of a professional police force in a
democratic system.
- Recent Violence Is Showing Iraqi Leaders The Danger Of
Sectarian Division And Underscoring The Urgency Of Forming A
National Unity Government. Today, Iraqi leaders from every
major ethnic and religious community are working to construct a
path forward. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is helping Iraq's
leaders reach across political, religious, and sectarian lines to
form a government that will earn the trust and the confidence of
all Iraqis.
- There Are Signs Of Progress. Earlier this month, Iraqi
leaders announced an agreement on the need to address critical
issues such as de-Ba'athification, the operation of security
ministries, and the distribution of oil revenues in a spirit of
national unity. They agreed to form a new national security
council to improve government coordination on these and other
difficult issues. This council will include representatives from
all major political groups and leaders from Iraq's executive,
judicial, and legislative branches. This council's advice will
help make the Iraqi government that emerges more effective and
unified.
The Free Citizens Of A Free Iraq Are Calling Saddam Hussein To
Account. The former dictator is answering to a judge instead of
meting out arbitrary justice - and Iraqis are replacing the rule of
a tyrant with the rule of law.
Victory In Iraq Is Critical To American Security
Our Work In Iraq Is Difficult But Vital To Our Security.
The terrorists know that when freedom sets root in Iraq, it will be
a mortal blow to their aspirations to dominate the region and
advance their hateful vision. They are determined to stop the
advance of freedom in Iraq, and we must be equally determined to
stop them.
If We Leave Iraq Before The Iraqi People Are Capable Of
Defending Their Own Democracy, The Terrorists Will Win. The
Iraqi government is still in transition, and Iraqi Security Forces
are still gathering capacity. If we leave Iraq before they are
capable of defending their own democracy, the terrorists will
achieve their stated goal: they will turn Iraq into a safe haven,
seek to arm themselves with weapons of mass murder, and use Iraq as
a base to overthrow moderate governments in the Middle East and
launch more attacks against America and other free nations.
- America Will Not Retreat From Iraq. We will complete
the mission, because the security of the American people is linked
to the success of a free Iraq. And when victory is achieved, our
troops will come home. There will be more tough fighting ahead,
with difficult days that test the patience and resolve of our
country. Yet we can have faith in the final outcome because we
have seen freedom overcome the darkness of tyranny and terror and
secure the peace before. In this century, freedom will prevail
once again.
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