Tragic lesson from Iraq

The wave of violence across 19 Iraqi cities on Monday, which left 111 people dead and at least 235 injured, has shocked the international community. The heaviest death toll in two years in Iraq highlights the after-effects of the Iraq War, and should be a message of caution for those who are still keen on forcing another regime change in the Middle East.

Monday's violence, which came after al-Qaida had warned that it would try to retake lost territory, carries the stamp of the terrorist group. But it is not enough to just condemn the cruelty of terrorists and remind the world community of the daunting task of uprooting terrorism.

In fact, Iraq has been in a quagmire of political instability, sectarian rift and violence ever since the United States pulled its troops out of it in December.

When US President Barack Obama wound up the war in haste, he hailed the withdrawal as a moment of success and "an extraordinary achievement" for the US. Touting the track record of his foreign policy success on Monday, Obama did not hesitate to enlist the troop withdrawal as one of his major achievements.

The regime in Iraq was changed. Yet what happened on Monday (and has been happening in the wake of the US withdrawal) prove that the country is far from secure and stable. Contrary to some US officials' claim - that Iraq is capable of self-governance - peace and stability remain a luxury for Iraqi people, who have more often than not become targets of violence.

To a great extent, Iraqis are victims of foreign intervention. They have paid and will continue to pay a dear price for what Obama calls a "dumb war" because nobody knows when their nightmare will end.

The cruel reality in Iraq is enough to shatter the premise of unwarranted outside intervention aimed at forced regime change, no matter what excuses there may be. Any attempt to force a similar regime change in, say, Syria may not only backfire, but also trigger undesirable chain reactions.

The international community has a responsibility to prevent tragedies like Iraq from being repeated elsewhere. The lesson in Iraq indicates forced regime change may have devastating consequences for the region, threaten global security and dampen international efforts to combat terrorism.

(China Daily 07/25/2012 page8)