Vicky A. Checter: Alexander's Road In Iraq Parallels U.S.
Vicky A. Checter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/12/05
The commander of the Iraq invasion threw a bucket of cold water on America's hopes for a short war. Gen. Tommy R. Franks recently predicted,"We will be engaged with our military in Iraq for perhaps, 3, 5, perhaps 10 years." But Franks may be more optimistic than history allows.
After all, this isn't the first time a Western country waged a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. In 322 B.C., Iraq and its surrounding areas were invaded by Alexander of Macedon (known as Alexander the Great to the West and Alexander the Accursed to the East).
There are eerie parallels between the Greek king's ancient conflict and our modern war. Two years ago, Americans feared the weapons of mass destruction of a tyrant in Baghdad. Twenty-four hundred years ago, the Greeks feared the ancient weapons of destruction of a tyrant in Babylon (35 miles south of Baghdad).
We feared more attacks from terrorists after Sept. 11. The Greeks feared the same after a homeland attack years earlier. We feared that Saddam Hussein would hijack the word's supply of oil, cripple our economy and threaten our lives. The Greeks feared the Persian tyrant King Darius would hijack trade routes, stop the flow of gold and cripple Greece's future as a newly unified kingdom.
Both Western powers decided that a pre-emptive strike was the only way to stop the enemy, even as many citizens back home argued fiercely about the true nature of the threat. But here's where the similarities end.
Alexander didn't pretend he was going in to"straighten things out," install a new form of government and leave. He went in to take over.
It took Alexander nearly four years to defeat the Iraqi-based king. As the undisputed victor, Alexander walked into Babylon to the cheers of townspeople throwing flowers that carpeted the streets, much as we hoped our own troops would be welcomed.
Alexander's soldiers toppled the former dictator's statues upon victory just like our soldiers toppled the statue of Saddam. And just like Americans, the Greeks too placed a local leader in charge; only his name was Mazaeus, not Allawi. And just like today, the Greeks faced countless insurgencies from militant rebel leaders.
But here's where it gets chilling. The Greeks spent the next seven years subduing rebellions in every corner of the new kingdom. Granted, the Persian kingdom didn't just include Iraq --- it also included Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. But the lessons of the region still hold: The Middle East has a track record of instability longer than the Christian Bible has been in existence.
When Alexander died in Babylon, 12 years after his initial pre-emptive strike, all Hades broke loose. The region burst into chaos the likes of which we can't even imagine today. Persian and Western leaders wrestled for power in bloody fighting that took 40 years to resolve.
Historians call this period the"War of Successors." Eventually the dust cleared, with three Western generals carving up the vast Persian kingdom. Ancient Iraqis were denied control over their own land and destiny. Is there little wonder why their modern counterparts are so skittish and divided about a Western presence on their land?
The lessons of history contradict expectations of American troops coming home in the next few years. It took 50 years of conflict after Greece's initial pre-emptive strike before the area stabilized. We can only hope that history will make an exception for us and not repeat itself.
The commander of the Iraq invasion threw a bucket of cold water on America's hopes for a short war. Gen. Tommy R. Franks recently predicted,"We will be engaged with our military in Iraq for perhaps, 3, 5, perhaps 10 years." But Franks may be more optimistic than history allows.
After all, this isn't the first time a Western country waged a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. In 322 B.C., Iraq and its surrounding areas were invaded by Alexander of Macedon (known as Alexander the Great to the West and Alexander the Accursed to the East).
There are eerie parallels between the Greek king's ancient conflict and our modern war. Two years ago, Americans feared the weapons of mass destruction of a tyrant in Baghdad. Twenty-four hundred years ago, the Greeks feared the ancient weapons of destruction of a tyrant in Babylon (35 miles south of Baghdad).
We feared more attacks from terrorists after Sept. 11. The Greeks feared the same after a homeland attack years earlier. We feared that Saddam Hussein would hijack the word's supply of oil, cripple our economy and threaten our lives. The Greeks feared the Persian tyrant King Darius would hijack trade routes, stop the flow of gold and cripple Greece's future as a newly unified kingdom.
Both Western powers decided that a pre-emptive strike was the only way to stop the enemy, even as many citizens back home argued fiercely about the true nature of the threat. But here's where the similarities end.
Alexander didn't pretend he was going in to"straighten things out," install a new form of government and leave. He went in to take over.
It took Alexander nearly four years to defeat the Iraqi-based king. As the undisputed victor, Alexander walked into Babylon to the cheers of townspeople throwing flowers that carpeted the streets, much as we hoped our own troops would be welcomed.
Alexander's soldiers toppled the former dictator's statues upon victory just like our soldiers toppled the statue of Saddam. And just like Americans, the Greeks too placed a local leader in charge; only his name was Mazaeus, not Allawi. And just like today, the Greeks faced countless insurgencies from militant rebel leaders.
But here's where it gets chilling. The Greeks spent the next seven years subduing rebellions in every corner of the new kingdom. Granted, the Persian kingdom didn't just include Iraq --- it also included Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. But the lessons of the region still hold: The Middle East has a track record of instability longer than the Christian Bible has been in existence.
When Alexander died in Babylon, 12 years after his initial pre-emptive strike, all Hades broke loose. The region burst into chaos the likes of which we can't even imagine today. Persian and Western leaders wrestled for power in bloody fighting that took 40 years to resolve.
Historians call this period the"War of Successors." Eventually the dust cleared, with three Western generals carving up the vast Persian kingdom. Ancient Iraqis were denied control over their own land and destiny. Is there little wonder why their modern counterparts are so skittish and divided about a Western presence on their land?
The lessons of history contradict expectations of American troops coming home in the next few years. It took 50 years of conflict after Greece's initial pre-emptive strike before the area stabilized. We can only hope that history will make an exception for us and not repeat itself.