America is under attack, not from an enemy in a faraway land, but here at home, by our own government. In the current year 2010, almost 7 years after "shock and awe" campaign that officially started the war in Iraq, the U.S. government fails to recognize that our efforts in the Middle East have plateaued, and it is time to bring our troops home. The surge campaigns in recent years were felt by many, to be an unofficial recognition that the war is not going well, and several top generals have had high hopes for this military strategy, but compelling evidence concludes this was a short-lived success. No one can deny the financial toll the Iraq war has had on America, for America is in the middle of one of the worst economic crisis in recent …show more content…
In a speech given by President Bush, he called the surge “A new way forward”, which indirectly confirmed to many that the White House was aware of the military shortcomings in Iraq. Although the Bush administration most likely had the best of intentions, there are a few key reasons the Iraqi surge did not have sustained positive results. The surge strategy was to increase the number of troops in Iraq by 20,000; these troops would be used in urban civilian areas where military forces have had a difficult time clearing out neighborhoods. The surge was initially a success, however, after several months it became clear the success was short-lived, and the overall strategy was short sighted. Members of Al Qaeda simply left the region while it was heavily occupied, only to return when the U.S. threat had vacated the area. There was a survey conducted by Iraq, and the overwhelming majority of Iraqi citizens felt that daily living conditions had not changed they were in favor of American troops leaving their country. Although the primary goal of improving the lives of citizens was not fully realized, there is a bigger flaw with the surge, it had aimed to reduce American and Iraqi casualties, as well as lower the number of Al Quad attacks. As already stated, these surges did have some fleeting success, which were able to produce statistics that briefly pacified many critics of the war,
Justification of the War in Iraq Despite contrary belief, the Iraq War can certainly be justified. This war began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by U.S troops under the command of former president, George W. Bush. This invasion can be vindicated for several reasons. The greatest is that Iraq was a severe menace to its own people due to a corrupt and distorted government, spearheaded by the dictator, Saddam Hussein. Furthermore, Iraq was a substantial threat to other nations in the world, including the United States of America because of its previous possession of weapons of mass destruction and ties with terrorist groups. It would be misleading to not mention the economic gains that motivated the American government to occupy Iraq.
Since the war on Iraq began on March 20, 2003, at least 1,402 coalition troops have died and 9,326 U.S. troops have been wounded in action. This is no small number and the count grows daily. One would hope, then, that these men and women were sent to war with just cause and as a last resort. However, as the cloud of apprehension and rhetoric surrounding the war has begun to settle, it has become clear that the Bush administration relied on deeply flawed analyses to make its case for war to the United Nations and to the American people, rushing this country, and its soldiers, into war. This is not to say that this war was waged against a blameless regime or that our soldiers have died
Jim Lewandowski said, “None of us could see a reason of why we were still there, and it just kept going on and on.”In 2003, with president George W. Bush accusing Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein of harboring weapons of mass destruction , within one month Hussein has been ousted. After the election in 2008, President Obama vowed to bring American troops home, and in 2011 he withdrew the last U.S. forces. The United States was now using airstrikes to fight ISIS and the debate is growing about whether the United States withdrew its forces from Iraq. Our troops should be removed from Iraq because of the Iraq war may turn out to be the worst war in American history. Also, the war causes the Americans National security to be endangered.
The Iraq War started in 2003. The war was a protracted armed conflict that began with the invasion of Iraq by a coalition led by the United states. This ultimately led to overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s government.
As of today, 6,845 Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and over 900,000 Americans have been injured in both wars. (Goodman 1) Sending those troops over to these places to fight will just cause more damage. How much more lost lives does it take for the government to realize that the places they are sending these troops over to is not getting anywhere. The U.S just keeps going up a hill that never ends, instead of going up they are rolling down it. Digging a bigger hole for the U.S to get buried in. The great leaders in American history learned from the mistakes of the past. It is something we ought to remember when it comes to sending ground troops to remove the Islamic State group. Although ISIS needs to be defeated, the President should
It is not uncommon for a President’s approval rating to go down after he makes a big decision that involves a lot of American lives. So naturally, it is not hard to see why Barack Obama’s rating has fallen dramatically since he ordered the deployment of over 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He believes this will help end the conflict there, but many Americans don’t see it that way. Many are worried about the time frame he has set for the troops withdraw and eventual trip home. Eighteen months is a very short time to end a war that has been dragging on for almost a decade against an enemy that has an obvious advantage due to their knowledge of the terrain. History has shown us the difficulties of war, especially without public support. I
This essay is in defense of the Iraqi War. President Bush’s vocal critics state that American troops’ have been sacrificed in the Iraq War. First of all, the word “sacrifice” means that a person voluntarily does or gives up something at his or her own free will (like a bunt to advance a runner in baseball or Catholics sacrificing and giving up chocolate for Lent). I don’t believe that any of those soldiers that have been killed in the war deliberately intended to die or were “sacrificed” as Michael Moore has erroneously stated. And I’m sure that if President Bush knew the names of those soldiers that were going to be killed, I’m certain he would have ordered those individuals to stay on U.S.
The U.S. military is the largest and most powerful military in the history of the world. When the U.S. must use this military might to invade another country, the President and senior elected officials have a responsibility to ensure the reasoning behind the invasion is ironclad and as transparent as possible. War should be a last resort, and those in the position of power need exhaust all diplomatic channels first. Unfortunately this powerful sense of duty was not abided by during the lead up to the Iraq invasion. Senior officials in the Bush administration deliberately deceived the public by using manipulative and inaccurate intelligence information in order to gain public approval for the invasion of Iraq. Trusted elected officials betrayed the oath to their office. Callously and recklessly caused the loss of life to members of our military, and innocent civilians in Iraq. Officials in the Bush administration need to be held legally accountable for the grave harm their deception caused. Former President George Bush and senior officials in the Bush administration should stand trial for violating the law under US code title 18 section 2441: war crimes, because of the craven duplicity, unparalleled corruption, and horrific crimes they committed against humanity.
After the successful anti-terrorism war in Afghanistan, are we going to fight another war on Iraq? In almost every statement on foreign policy, Bush states his belief on his war against Iraq and depicts Saddam Hussein as “an evil.” A recent poll showed that “nearly seven in 10 supported military action to force Saddam Hussein from power" (Public Agenda). Before you make your decision, do you think a war after Iraq is justified by International law and US law? Do you know the current situation and the background of Iraq and the Middle East world? Do you think getting rid of Hussein can stop terrorists’ attack on America? Have you thought about the huge capital cost of the war, the casualties of US soldiers
I will briefly describe what the surge is in literal terms and the context under which it was planned and then implemented. In 2006 it was clear to most American citizens and top military commanders that the war in Iraq was not going well. Efforts to rebuild Iraq and increase the economic well being of it’s citizens amounted to very little. The Iraqis recruited to join the new Iraqi army and police force that was loyal to the democratic government put in place by the United States were for the most part proving to be wholly incapable of providing security which made the country completely dependent upon the security provided by the coalition forces. Democratic elections were held successfully in 2005 to elect representatives to the Iraqi
This preoccupation in Iraq detracted from our efforts to dismantle Al Qaeda and bring Bin Laden to justice. Al Qaeda and Bin Laden remain at large and are by far the greater threat to the United States. Al Qaeda has taken over 3000 lives on U.S. soil, while Saddam Hussein has taken none (Boron 5). The attack on Iraq has created an atmosphere that helps terrorists attract new recruits. By attacking Iraq, we may have created many more Bin Ladens, who could present a threat of terrorism to the United States for decades to come. By being preoccupied in Iraq, Al Qaeda is simply running loose and could be regrouping for a counterattack (Corn 45).
"ISIS is taking over a lot of the oil and certain areas of Iraq. And I said you take away their wealth, that you go and knock the hell out of the oil, take back the oil. We take over the oil, which we should have done in the first place" (Meet the Press, 2015). In this quote, President Donald Trump comments about the invasion of the United States (US) in Iraq in 2003 during an interview Meet the Press facilitated by Chuck Todd in 2015. Trump emphasizes that proceeding the conclusion of invasion of Iraq in 2011, the United States of America should have kept ownership of the oil to prevent terrorist groups like that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) from gaining control. Though the 2003 Iraq War was thought to be in retaliation to
Baghdad in 2006 was a place of bias, controversy, and terror. The capital of Iraq was shaking not only by their new government that reflected dealmaking not meritocracy but, also with an internal religious struggle that was peaking with seventy or more deaths a day. Death was far too easy in Iraq, the United States was in the search for the for the best approach in a hostile environment where the identity of the enemy is masked by the surrounding civilians. The pending question that comes from the war in Iraq war, What is the right approach to for the U.S. military to take in Baghdad. When the Bush Administration took a look at their current state they were in and they found three approaches that were all very different. To get out, to hand over Iraq back to the people after stabilizing it, and the surge were the options that the President and his advisors had to choose from.
American support for the Bush administration’s post-war strategy has also waned. Most Americans still argue that the United States should stay involved in Iraq. However, a growing number of Americans have demonstrated “increasing pessimism about the reconstruction effort,” while many more want the UN or another multilateral body to assume responsibility for post-war Iraq.(3) In many ways, Americans are coming to the realization that they will be financially responsible for Iraq’s reconstruction, security, and political transformation for several years. The U.S. Senate has held a number of hearings on post-war developments and senators from both political parties have strongly expressed doubts concerning the Bush administration’s efforts, describing
Car bombs, army raids in the middle of the night, executions and mass graves. These are only a few of the atrocities that are the result of war. Most people in the world do not know what it is like to live through a civil war, but many kids and families in the country of Iraq know nothing else. Since 1918 Iraq has been in a civil war. You may be asking “how could a conflict endure for this long?”. The answer to that question is that the three general groups that Iraq is composed of remain in constant conflict. The Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites have never and will never get along. The Iraqi government uses its power to attack towns and villages of what they determine to be the “outgroups”. The ousting of Saddam Hussein