Four million Iraqis fled to neighbor states and two million to more secure parts of their country. Baghdad was the center of sectarian violence, lack of water and electricity.

We can assume only 50 percent of all refugees are from Baghdad, a city of once5 million, now counting only2 million inhabitants. Our armed forces are not equipped for street fights without causing terrible damage to Iraqi civilians and therefore couldn't convince the refugees to return home.

The wider Middle East between Morocco and Pakistan regained freedom from colonization. Later the industrialized nations competed increasingly for political influence in order to reach bilateral contracts for sensitive commodities like oil, gas, copper, zinc, nickel, etc. Unfortunately, we see destabilizing and not respectful business methods. These have to be changed as fast and as thoroughly as possible. Peace and security depend on how peoples approach each other.

Step one: Nations which import the most sensitive commodities agree to buy shipments exclusively at one internationally regulated exchange.

Step two: The U.N. or the U.S. initiate a Middle East “Marshall Plan” in order to finance: A. An Arabic speaking or Islamic U.N. Peace Force to replace our troops; B. A Millennium Wider Middle East Peace Conference under their or under the U.N.'s agenda for their political future; C. A reconstruction plan; D. An anti-poverty, health care, education and environmental program.

This “Marshall Plan” could be funded by oil revenues of the region and through savings, when our troops can return home and we can say: Finally, the world is better off, and it was worth the sacrifices on all sides.

Peter Duenkelsbuehler

Skaneateles