The Courage to be Free, by Ron DeSantis: on War & Peace


Ron DeSantis: We destroyed Al Qaeda in Iraq but can't establish democracy

What lessons did I draw from my time in Iraq? I learned up close the limits of what our military could be expected to accomplish. Within two weeks of being on the ground, it was clear to me that our military would end up destroying AQI. This was because AQI had alienated core segments of the Sunni population with its terror tactics, and because it was no match for US military operations. It was just as obvious that we would not succeed in establishing a pro-American, Western-style democracy in Iraq. This was simply outside the capability of any military force to achieve. The cultural differences were too vast for Iraq to embrace Madisonian constitutionalism. In fact, the Iraqis considered "freedom" to be submission to sharia law, not the enactment of liberal democracy. I saw firsthand the folly of using the military to socially engineer a foreign society.
Source: The Courage to be Free, by Gov. Ron DeSantis, p. 31-32 Feb 28, 2023

  • The above quotations are from The Courage to be Free
    Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival
    Gov. Ron DeSantis    .
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