Why Are We Fighting in Iraq Essay Example Essay Example

Why Are We Fighting in Iraq Essay Example Paper Why Are We Fighting in Iraq Essay Introduction The war in Iraq has led to the death of many youngsters; America has lost many young people who would have been the future of the nation. It has been five years since the war in Iraq took place and the situation has not really improved.The most obvious reasons and the ones that immediately come into our minds are that Iraq was linked with Al-Qaeda, that they had weapons of mass destruction and that they have had a history of terrorism. As America is fighting a war against terrorism, thus that includes a war against Iraq.When war in Iraq started, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that he knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. Secretary of State Colin Powell went to United Nations and described Iraq’s cache in detail, down to the pound of certain weapons. The United Nations had inspectors looking for these weapons. But the thing is, why weren’t those weapons found or for that matter, if they knew the location of the weapons that why didn’t they ju st guide the inspectors to the location.America went to war with Iraq not because Saddam was a brutal dictator and they wanted to help the people, if this were the case then there are far worse dictators in the world, why doesn’t America go to war with them. America has made use of the same dictator before when he was fighting Iran. Why is there a sudden change in their views and policies?There are many reasons why America went to war with Iraq; they have nothing to do with terrorism and Saddam being a brutal dictator. These reasons are political and economic. America wants to fill their needs by hook or by crook.Iraq has oil, which is what America needed. The neo-cons[1] convinced President George W. Bush that the solution to all his problems was to occupy Iraq and it would help take a step towards dominating the oil producing nations of the world. The neo-cons wanted to finish Iraq because it was a threat to Israel which was important to them. War in Iraq started and still exists because the President wanted to rule the world.[2]What they did not realize was that there would be repercussions that they would have to face; the people do not want the life that America is offering them. They want to be left alone. President Bush in his address to the nation said, â€Å"Our mission in Iraq is clear. We’re hunting down the terrorists. We’re helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We’re advancing freedom in the broader Middle East. We are removing a source of violence and instability, and laying the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.†[3]There were many assumptions made by the American government when they decided to go war with Iraq. They thought that they were making the right decision and they could handle all that was going on there. What they did not realize was that they would be losing so many troops and the lives of the young children. Those children for whom they wa nted to create a safer tomorrow.The reasons that President Bush provided for going to war with Iraq do not seem valid enough. We know that there are three basic reasons: weapons of mass destruction, democracy for the region and fighting terrorism.[4] The first reason is not valid because other countries such as Pakistan and North Korea have a larger nuclear base and can be a threat to the nation. Iraq, on the other hand is years away from being able to produce weapons of mass destruction.The second reason of Saddam being a brutal dictator and that America wanted to bring democracy to that region is invalid because, dictatorship in Iraq was embraced when Iraq was fighting against America’s enemy. America was assisting Iraq during this time period, why did they not think about it being a dictatorship then, because it was serving their purpose? Also Iraq was removed from the list of terrorist nations when Reagan was President.The third reason for the war in Iraq is to fight terr orism. The reason given was that the elimination of Saddam would result in the terrorist groups around the world coming to a standstill and the threat that America faces would finish. The facts that we know tell us different. They tell us that Al-Qaeda wants to overthrow all those governments that do not follow Islamic principles and the Iraqi government would be swept away because of this doctrine. After the war in Iraq and the government that has now been introduced, the wrath of the terrorists would just increase instead of diminish.America is the only super power in the world. On this basis, the distribution of power is unjust because America can take advantage of this power and act as a bully to all other nations which are weaker to it. America has another advantage; it is not surrounded by other countries. This makes it difficult for other nations that might have the ability and the courage to attack the country.One thing that America needs to realize is that all these countri es that they have destroyed also have people living in them, just like the people living in America. Not all people in a nation are bad, and for these few people you cannot destroy the whole nation. America also has its fair share of criminals but that does not give any other country the right to come and destroy the whole of America. Going to war against nations to fulfill the governments greediness is a pathetic reason.The Al-Qaeda group developed because of America in the first place. The Americans supported the Afghani’s till they were fighting the Russians, as soon as the war ended all the supplies also stopped. America left Afghanistan desolated. In such a situation what were they supposed to do, their country was ruined; they had not food or place to live and no proper government. Eventually they started fighting amongst themselves. The Taliban seemed like the only ray of hope.The question I ask here is that what would we do when put in such a situation? Would we not r eact in the same manner?The American government has been able to accomplish one of its objectives, the removal of Saddam but the country is now in a precarious situation. People do not leave their homes because of the civil war going on. The infrastructure within the country has deteriorated because it was all destroyed in the war. Safety of the citizens especially safety of women has diminished. The human rights have suffered within the country. [5]The American government wanted to create a model out of Iraq but the only thing that they have done is make the situation worse. Even the American troops that are being sent to fight the war have started to think that if this war is worth risking their life for. The war is not for their freedom or to protect them from harm; it is for monetary benefits and being able to control the most precious commodity in the world, oil.America has done the same thing that it did in Vietnam; it did not analyze the situation well enough and went in full force. After some time they realized that they could not handle it and wanted out. But in the case of Iraq, this realization came much later. Up till this time much was lost, for both countries. Iraq lost everything while America lost many lives. The U.S. military has lost 4000 soldiers.There are three facts that we should keep in mind. Fact one, enlisted personnel should disobey unlawful orders. Fact two, officers should disobey unconstitutional orders. Fact three, the Iraq invasion was unlawful in that we didn’t first engage in collective action with other UN member states nor did we gain the prior assent of the UN Security Council. In violating the UN Charter we violated the Constitution because that treaty (UN Charter) became binding under Article VI of the Constitution.[6]America has faced many problems because of the war in Iraq. America cannot fight another battle on the same reasons as the one given for Iraq. Mainly because we now know that these reasons were a hoax. America cannot invade Iran saying that they have weapons of mass destruction, even if Iran does start to work on its nuclear plant and produce nuclear weapons. The second side affect is that the commitment to security at home has deteriorated. Steps that were introduced so that further terrorist attacks could not take place have not been implemented properly.One of the reasons for this lack of security is because the money or the budget allocation for these things has not been fair and it has been spent on the war in Iraq. The third side affect that the country has faced because of the war is that the economy has weakened. The national debt has increased and the funding that was needed for education, healthcare and the repair of the infrastructure has lacked. [7]We can then say that the government has actually jeopardized the nation for a war that was not theirs to fight in the first place. America is doing just what its constitution asks it not to do, which is racial profiling, di scrimination and not giving others their right. They have also violated many human rights laws. Based on these principals, we can call what America is doing in Iraq, terrorism.The U.S. has not only harmed other nations with their decision to invade Iraq but they have also harmed themselves. When we look back at the situation today, all we can see is destruction for no obvious reason. It was a blunder made by the government, which they refused to accept for a long time leading to worsening of the situation. This decision to invade Iraq and to fight the dictatorship has threatened the basic foundation of democracy in America.The reasons seem futile today, but at that time the people of America thought otherwise. They did not raise their voices against the war in Iraq, until it was too late and the mistake had already been made. Had this come earlier, it might have influenced the government’s decision and America would have been in a much better position.The war in Iraq has caus ed a lot of damage to people, emotionally, psychologically and socially. Those who have returned from the battlefield cannot adjust to their normal lives. The horrifying scenes that they saw still come to them as nightmares while others may not understand this.The underlying objective of the American government could not be achieved neither could the obvious objective of the war be achieved. America decided to bail out when they realized that they could not handle the situation. For America, it was Vietnam all over again. It seems like the country has gained a habit of invading countries and leaving them desolate and alone when the going gets tough.For this reason and this reason only, America should make rational decisions and analyze them completely. They should evaluate the pros and cons and see if they will be able to handle the situation before the actually go in for the war.; Why Are We Fighting in Iraq Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!