...Iraq War Iraq War was an armed conflict that began with the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 and lasted until 2011. The US counted with some allies in this war such as United Kingdom or Australia. There were different reasons to explain the interest of the invasion and posterior war. Iraq invasion had a lot to do with 9/11 and the 1991 Gulf war. The Bush administration made the argument that in the post 9/11 climate there should be a belated reckoning with Saddam Hussein. He had continued to sponsor terrorism, had over the years invaded or attacked four of his neighbours, and had killed tens of thousands of his own people. Another important reason was the strong belief that Iraq had weapon of mass destruction, according to CIA, and most Middle Eastern governments and European intelligence agencies agreed. This started with the belief that there were missing stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. The possible possession of these weapons was never clear, but was useful to get some more support as the other reasons would not generate enough public urgency for pre-emption. Another motivation to invade Iraq was the issue of oil. The intention was not to take Iraq oil, but to avoid Saddam of having the control of oil. Iraq’s oil revenues meant that Saddam would always have the resources to foment trouble in the region, would always be difficult to remove through internal opposition, and would always use petrodollar influence. Finally, we could also say that another reason...
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...Iraq War Thesis Statement: What are the different reviews on the war? I. Debate over War with Iraq A. Pros of the Iraq war 1 .The U.S. has a duty to disarm a nation like Iraq. 2. Saddam Hussein is a tyrant that has demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and should be brought to justice. 3. The people of Iraq are oppressed people, and the U.S. has a duty to save these people. 4. The oil reserves of the region are necessary to the U.S. economy. A rogue element like Saddam threatens the oil reserves of the entire region. 5. The practice of appeasement only fosters even bigger tyrants. 6. By removing Saddam Hussein, the U.S. is safer in the future from terrorist attacks. 7. The creation of another nation favorable to U.S. interests in the Middle-east. 8. The removal of Saddam Hussein would uphold previous UN resolutions and give the body some credibility. B. Cons of the Iraq war 1. A pre-emptive strike lacks moral authority and violates previous U.S policy. 2. The war will create civilian casualties. 3. The UN inspectors may be able to resolve this issue. 4. The liberating military will lose troops as well as the U.S. 5. The country of Iraq could disintegrate. 6. The U.S. and allies will be responsible for rebuilding a new nation. 7. There is very little proof of a connection to Al-Qaeda. 8. The world consensus doesn’t exist for war. 9. Allied relationships will be damaged. II.U.S. Occupation of Iraq Will Increase Terrorism ...
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...Kevin Marcoux PHI-Ethics 3/24/2010 WAR War, destruction, and disagreements have been a major part of human history since the beginning of our race. Of course there are millions upon millions of people who believe that war is a horrible and frightful event that should be avoided at all means, but there are also others that are for war due to their own beliefs, whatever they may be. I am one of those people who believe that conflict and war not only is inevitable, but a necessary solution for maintaining overall peace on this planet. With the ever-growing population of this planet, resources are becoming more and more scarce and rapidly increasing in need for civilization as a whole. Fossil fuels, grain, and potable drinking water are among a few of the resources needed for life in today’s world. Just as the demand grows for needed supplies, the tension grows in the hearts of men who are in need and cannot find which in turn results in swift conflict in order to acquire what is needed. I believe in going to war to ensure the future security in society as a whole. Some see that the only just cause for war is strictly in defense, which is when the enemy comes to you. Why not go to the enemy and attack first to ensure the upper hand? Or if you know that a certain country is invading another country solely to build a force to attack us? Take the fight to them I say, and destroy the force that threatens the life and liberty of our families and fellow citizens...
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...Ending the War in Iraq for our Military Troops Point Paper Final Bernetta Epps Contemporary International Problems-POL300 Ending the War in Iraq for our Military Troops Brief Background It all begin on September 11, 2001 (now known as 9/11) when 19 Islamist terrorist hijacked four American commercial passenger jet airliners. New our City Twin Towers were the first to be hit. One plane hit one tower and half hour later; a second plane hit the other tower. Everyone on board was killed along with thousands on the towers and surrounding the area. The impact of both airplanes caused both towers to collapse. The third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C. also killing everyone on board. The fourth plane crashed into a field with no survivors. There were a total of 2,974 people who were killed in this attack on the United States. Ninety countries lost citizens to the attack at the world trade center in New York. The United States of America was under attack by terrorist. The United States was not prepared, did not see it coming and had to gain control. President George W. Bush announced to hic country we were now going to war. President Bush sent our military troops over to Iraq to fight for three main reasons. First, Bush sent the troops over to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction. Second, Iraq had sponsored the terrorism that happened on 9/11. And third, to capture Osama Bin Laden. The United States military troops were to be a war for how long...
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...task of nation building in Iraq by rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure and reformulating its political institutions. The military's role in modern stability operations, though seemingly new, fits into a preexisting American foreign policy formula. However, the military sees stability operations through contemporary ethical lenses. Since each case depends upon current ethical understanding about what the military should or should not do, past examples of stability operations do not necessarily provide fitting frameworks for modern efforts. This article focuses on ethical abstractions as well as the ways national and social views of how "right" and "wrong" translate into political and military application, and it examines examples of stability operations and the ethical challenges and implications such efforts raise.1 Morality in Post-war Operations Even though moral rhetoric often permeates stability operations, international stability and perceived strategic interests have overridden moral obligations as determinants for American military commitments. A study of the ethical implications of conducting stability operations today bridges a historiographic gap in the understanding of morality in warfare. Scholars have often alluded to the prevalence of the just war tradition in (Western) military thought.2 However, the Just War model is insufficient when discussing stability operations because it only describes jus ad bellum (rationale for going to war in the first place) and jus...
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...Although DESERT STORM (DS) was an overall success, 12 years later, OIF, a significantly different campaign, was launched and met its objective of regime change. Not long after DS concluded, Iraq waged its own war on its own people. The US became entrenched in the region enforcing no-fly zones for over a decade. One could say phase IV (transition) wasn’t given adequate planning attention. In fact, CENTCOM’s POLAD remarked there wasn’t any war termination planning conducted. One must approach phase IV planning with as much detail as the others to ensure we meet out national end state/national policies. We must plan to transition from combat to a MOOTW mode (with greater emphasis on other national power elements). The national strategic objective was the unconditional, complete withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Additionally, the US pushed restoration of the legitimate Kuwaiti government and repatriation of prisoners (coalition or civilian). The overarching military objective was the destruction of the RGFC. This was stated early by CINCCENT and he pursued this throughout combat with...
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...Justification of the War in Iraq In 2003 the United States of America invaded the country of Iraq in an effort to stop the production and take custody of the weapons of mass destruction that were believed to belong to the Iraqi government. Today we take a look at the actions taken by the United States government and analyze if there was truly weapons of mass destruction and if the invasion was justified in taking place. There are many opinions on this matter. Some throughout the world believe that there was just cause to invade. We ask ourselves if Iraq’s past actions which included genocide may have gave weight to the supporting opinions. If you look at the opposing side there are just as many, if not more, that disagreed with this military conflict and the actions taken by the United States government. Non supporters thought that the risk may outweigh the benefits of the invasion and also voiced doubt on the existence of weapons of mass destructions. In researching the issue and being a witness to the actions taken by the United States I am eager to believe that the war was justified. There are many reasons that I believe and other believe that it was just or not just. In support of the invasion of Iraq by the United States there are many reasons that are well apparent in supporting this notion. Prior to the invasion Iraq has proven that it supported terrorist and also supplied a haven for the terrorist that attacked and were planning to attack America and its...
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...The Iraq war wasn’t justified The 2003 invasion of Iraq (March 20 – May 1, 2003), was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War or Operation Iraqi Freedom in which a combined force of troops from the United States, alongside the United Kingdom, and smaller contingents from Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations. This phase (March–April 2003) consisted of a conventionally fought war which concluded with the fall of Baghdad that marked the beginning of the second phase, the current Iraq War, and was a continuation of the Gulf War of 1991, prior to which Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait, and after defeat by Coalition Forces had agreed to surrender and/or destroy several types of weapons, including SCUD missiles and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). According to then President of the United States George W. Bush and then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, the reasons for the invasion were "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's alleged support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people. According to Blair, the trigger was Iraq's failure to take a "final opportunity" to disarm itself of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that U.S. and British officials called an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace. Although some remnants of pre-1991 production were found after the end of the war. US government spokespeople confirmed that these were...
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...War is a very broad term for writing. Under this word, everybody imagine black and white soldier with a gun in a dusty environment. My question is “why?”. Why is the basic question of all. Existence on earth, learning, reading, or why somebody listen one ear in and another ear out? Why do we have war? Why people argue?, fight?. Why do we have quarrels?, rivalry or racing? The answer is simple. Proving power is not really right move. Subjugation is the wrong way of showing the great powers or superpowers. Power should provide love and support, not a battle about who is better. When I asked my younger sister what is the war, she said, "Battles and shooters where people kills and dies." This way you also our ancestors proved and showed their "size". Dictators, leaders of fascism and nationalism did not just wake up one day and became dictators. These people started manifesting in early childhood. At the school in the form of bullying or vandalism, and if they do not have a steady hand above them, their "abilities" develop even further. Lack of attention or care from parents, despise, not enough friends- all of this bad examples play big role and they are benefits to become person like that. Maybe we should help people like that and not brushed them aside because they are different. They have their reason why they are different. In my essay I would like to compare two wars, World War II and Iraq war. What are the differences and what are the similarities? World War II Starting...
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...The Iraq War was Unjustified The Iraq War was Unjustified There are many reasons why the war Iraq was unjustified. Until today, Iraq has not been found to have weapons of mass destruction. There are beliefs that former President George W. Bush simply waged war on Iraq because of their oil. Iraq as a country and the former President Saddam Hussein had no link to al-Qaeda terrorist group. The United States congress, based on wrong intelligence from the Bush’s administration agreed unanimously to go to war with Iraq, despite the fact that the Unites Nations disagreed with the decision. Because of the decision to wage war on Iraq, The United States lost most of its allies. “A war on Iraq for the purpose of “regime change” would not be a legal war under international law. Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter states: “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations.” (Miller, 2003). On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Many Americans died because of the deadly attack. It was one of the deadliest attacks on U.S soil. One plane crashed into part of the pentagon, and the another plane crashed into an open field. Based on these attacks by the al-Qaeda terrorist group, President Bush declared war on the Taliban in Afghanistan in an attempt...
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...Was the invasion of Iraq, justified? That is a question that American society struggles with today. It is a highly debatable issue, with some for and some against. But what led up to it and why did we invade Iraq? In this paper, I will look at the facts, rumors, and mere coincidences that overshadow this highly controversial debate. I will also speak on personal experience, when I was deployed to that region. As we all know, in September of 2001 a great tragedy struck this great nation. On the morning of September 11th, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes. Two of the planes, struck one of the World Trade Center Tower’s. One plane hit the pentagon, while the fourth plane was enroute to Washington D.C., crashed in Pennsylvania. Nearly three thousand people lost their lives in these horrible events. It has been since Pearl Harbor since that large of an attack happened on American soil. President George W. Bush was our Commander-in- Chief, his approval ratings before these attacks were not bad, but not great. His rating, which was done by the Gallup poll was around 55%, give or take. The economy was heading into a recession. How this all comes into play, is the theory that war boosts the economy. Companies are given contracts to build equipment and clothing for the military in return they hire more employees to keep up with the demand. Not only do unemployment numbers decrease, spending increases which help boost an ailing economy. There are a lot of conspiracy theories...
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...Persepolis and the Iran-Iraq War Persepolis, is a graphic novel, by Marjane Satrapi, the story follows the life of a young girl growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revelation, and later during the Iran-Iraq war. Throughout the story Satrapi focuses on the major cultural difference between her and her family and the other people, and how it changes as the story progresses, with different forms of government controlling Iran. "Following the 1979 Iranian revolution, the Iraqi leadership sought to exploit Iran's military and political chaos in order to resolve border disputes, gain control of Iran's oil-rich western province, and achieve hegemony in the Persian Gulf" (Britannica Concise Encyclopedia) Since many of the Iranian air force pilots where in jail for being members of the revelation the Iraq air force was able to attack Iran with little resistance. This was mentioned in Persepolis when Marjane and her parents are talking and they hear the national anthem of Iran, and the news caster announces that the Iranian pilots have been released and have attacked Iraq. During the war Iran stores had a lack of quantity and people where fighting over the things that the stores had. Like in the scene in Persepolis when Marjane and her mother went shopping and they witnessed two woman fighting over something. Marjane's mother tried to separate them, but they turned on her, so Marjane suggested they leave. Iraq continued to bomb cities in Iran kill many Iranian civilians, and people...
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...Media and Socio-Cultural Change The 2003 Iraq War Did Not Take Place Did the 2003 Iraq War take place? This question derived from Jean Baudrillard’s essay with the title ‘The Gulf War did not take place’ written in 1991 in response to the Gulf War (August 2, 1990 - February 28, 1991). Baudrillard began his essay with a provocative statement “Since this war was won in advance, we will never know what it would have been like had it existed. We will never know what an Iraqi taking part with a chance of fighting would have been like. We will never know what an American taking part with a chance of being beaten would have been like” (Baudrillard, 2004). This bold paragraph prompts us re-think whether the war actually occurred as what we saw, read or heard from the news and the media, however we are not supposed to consider this literary. Baudrillard’s argument was to demonstrate the war perceived by the world was not the “actual” war rather it was a media spectacle. According to Kellner, “Media Spectacles are those phenomena of media culture which embody contemporary society's basic values, serve to enculturate individuals into its way of life, and dramatize it's controversies and struggles, as well as its modes of conflict resolution." (Kellner, 2005) In Kellner’s essay ‘September 11, Spectacles of Terror, and Media Manipulation: A Critique of Jihadist and Bush Media Politics’, he implied how media spectacles have been used by terrorists and the Bush government to promote...
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...The End of the Iraq War: Unrest in the Middle East Media- The news media, are often unpopular with the brass, for they function independently, without rules, regulations, or even a Code of Conduct except for some that are self-imposed. The media’s Newspapers, Radio, TV and Cable have a variety of interests of their own and set goals to be achieved. They have their fulsome share of rogues, incompetents and avaricious vultures. Yet at their best, the media provide the nation with a vital service it can get nowhere else. It is one of the pillars of the state. US military action against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria began on a small scale three months ago but has steadily expanded in size and scope, raising the stakes for Washington, experts say. The mission has morphed from protecting religious minorities in Iraq to a vow to "destroy" the IS group in both Syria and Iraq, a dramatic shift for an American president who as a candidate was an outspoken opponent of the previous US war in Iraq. Transnational actors-Globalization provides international actors with additional tools for enhancing their interests and power. More actors which assume the shape of threats are actively and directly involved in everyday international affairs. That is why extremist and terrorist ideological groups for example achieved the ability to manipulate an audience by cultivating fear on the global scale. Rebel or resistance movements, warlords, criminal organizations, local militias, ethnic...
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...The war to end all wars... on terrorism. The Iraq war was terrible, no one could have seen what was going to happen.So many countries went along with the US, but Canada said no. My thesis is that saying no to the Iraq war was a defining moment for canada because the war was unpopular in Canada and no UN approval, it forced the US to realize that Canada was not the 51 state, and the war did nothing but destabilize Iraq. This is how Canada listen to its people and decide not to go to Iraq. Canada has always been an ally of the US since we became independent from the UK. From WW2 to the persian gulf war and even the invasion of afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. But, Canada did not join the Iraq war because it did not have the UN approval it...
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