Pictures of Abuse

As terrible as those photographs are, we need to view this crisis in the wider historical perspective.

We wouldn't be in Iraq were it not for Saddam Hussein, who murdered by the thousands, coveted deadly weapons, harbored and sponsored terrorists, and sought to dominate the Middle East.

In 1990, when he invaded Kuwait in 1990, the international community warned him to withdraw; we offered to spare him--and Iraq--harm.

He refused.

In 2003, we warned him again--even offered him amnesty if he went into exile; but he ignored us.

Saddam chose to put his people through this. He was clearly someone we could not have trusted to behave.

Now, we are in Iraq, bringing the change an overwhelming majority of Iraqis say they want.

We wouldn't be in Iraq or in Afghanistan--in the Middle East, in general, were it not for folks like Bin Laden, Saddam and the mullahs in Iran.

The gas attacks on Hallabja, the invasion of Iran and Kuwait, the murder of democracy activists, the mass graves--there are compelling pictures that document these--but we don't reflect on them much these days.

Before 9/11, we didn't express horror at what the Taleban were doing to women and children in Afghanistan.

But since 9/11, Islamists have killed thousands of innocents across the world--Bali, Morocco, Bahrain, Riyadh, Islamabad, Madrid, Basra, Baghdad, Najaf--just to make a point--and we still don't see pictures of the fallen.

We rarely see pictures of those who gave their lives fighting terror.

We don't see pictures of those slaugthered by Arab militias in Sudan--the real "Oil War" never makes it to Al Jazeera.

Yes, the world is full of terrible people who do horrific things. Some of these terrible people happen to be American.

But you have to believe that if the US succeeds in bringing democracy to the Middle East, change will ripple across the darkest spots in the world--that there will be an end to evil.

Will there be crimes committed by misguided Americans in the process? Will innocent people die?

Will the world hate us more? Yes, these things are all inevitable and part of the difficult process of change for the better.