U.S. President George W. Bush announced on Thursday the end of fighting in Iraq. Welcome though it is, Mr. Bush's pronouncement marks only the close of the first phase of the Iraqi conflict. Many would say the real work begins now. Winning the war in Iraq will be easy compared with winning the peace. The former required courage, military strategy and prowess, some of America's most abundant assets; the latter will take patience and understanding, attributes for which the United States has shown little inclination. The U.S. will need its friends and allies to fill that gap and cement the peace. It is yet unclear if Washington can rebuild nations as well as it can level them.
Speaking to the world from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as it steamed home from the Persian Gulf, Mr. Bush declared that "in the battle of Iraq, the U.S. and our allies have prevailed." Although the fighting is complete, allied forces are not all returning. Instead, the president repeated, the coalition will stay until its work is done. Missions include pacifying parts of the country, bringing leaders of the old order to justice, finding and destroying Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, and constructing a viable democratic government.
"The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort," Mr. Bush said. "Our coalition will stay until our work is done."