Should The USA have gone to war in Iraq
Sherif Abouseif
Mrs Kimberly Matunis, M.Ed
English 04
6 November 2014
Should the US have Gone to war in Iraq?
The Iraq war has brought out a lot of debate and opinions over the years. Some suggest it was an act of revenge over the infamous 9/11 attacks, others believe that even if they were threatened, the US has no right to go to war. Over this essay I will evaluate both sides and sustain enough evidence to back my opinion. Whether the war was the right thing to do or not, I believe that we need to look at the situation in an unbiased and fair way to see how both ways can affect both the nation attacking and the other under attack.
Most of the analysis of this war has concluded that the war should have never been fought. In an editorial on August 28th, The New York Times, claimed that the Iraq war “should never have been fought,” summing it up in the following concise statement: “The overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s murderous rule and the stirrings of democratic politics are all positive outcomes. But they are overshadowed by overwhelming negatives. President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 looking for weapons of mass destruction, and defended that rationale long after it was clear that those weapons were not there. America’s credibility has still not recovered. The war cost the lives of more than 4,400 Americans, as well as those of an estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians, and hundreds of billions of dollars. The Iraq war also, disastrously, shifted attention and resources away from the far more important fight in Afghanistan. The Taliban — routed by the United States and Afghan forces after 9/11 — quickly regained the battlefield momentum after the Pentagon and White House lost interest. The two wars have grievously overtaxed American forces.” From these quotes we can obviously see that the war was the wrong choice for the United States. Rather than let the United Nations handle the terrorist attacks and threats, the US decided to take matter into their own
Mrs Kimberly Matunis, M.Ed
English 04
6 November 2014
Should the US have Gone to war in Iraq?
The Iraq war has brought out a lot of debate and opinions over the years. Some suggest it was an act of revenge over the infamous 9/11 attacks, others believe that even if they were threatened, the US has no right to go to war. Over this essay I will evaluate both sides and sustain enough evidence to back my opinion. Whether the war was the right thing to do or not, I believe that we need to look at the situation in an unbiased and fair way to see how both ways can affect both the nation attacking and the other under attack.
Most of the analysis of this war has concluded that the war should have never been fought. In an editorial on August 28th, The New York Times, claimed that the Iraq war “should never have been fought,” summing it up in the following concise statement: “The overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s murderous rule and the stirrings of democratic politics are all positive outcomes. But they are overshadowed by overwhelming negatives. President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 looking for weapons of mass destruction, and defended that rationale long after it was clear that those weapons were not there. America’s credibility has still not recovered. The war cost the lives of more than 4,400 Americans, as well as those of an estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians, and hundreds of billions of dollars. The Iraq war also, disastrously, shifted attention and resources away from the far more important fight in Afghanistan. The Taliban — routed by the United States and Afghan forces after 9/11 — quickly regained the battlefield momentum after the Pentagon and White House lost interest. The two wars have grievously overtaxed American forces.” From these quotes we can obviously see that the war was the wrong choice for the United States. Rather than let the United Nations handle the terrorist attacks and threats, the US decided to take matter into their own
Cited: Jackson, Henry. "The Iraq War Was worth It, and Fought for the Right Reasons, Says FPI Executive Director Jamie Fly." Foreign Policy. N.p., 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. Kelley, Michael B., and Geoffrey Ingersoll. "BY THE NUMBERS: The Staggering Cost Of The Iraq War." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. Byrd, Robert. "Arrogance of Power." Today I Weep for My Country. US Senate March. 03 Mar. 2003. Today I Weep for My Country. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. Downer, Alexander. "Why The Iraq War Was Right." N.p., 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. "Bush Still Thinks Iraq War Was a Good Idea." - RT USA. N.p., 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. Klein, Rick. "George W. Bush: 'Very Comfortable ' with Decision to Invade Iraq." ABC News. ABC News Network, 24 Mar. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. "Iraq." Child Victims Of War. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. Howard, Michael. "Children of War: The Generation Traumatised by Violence in IraqM." The Guardian. N.p., 06 Feb. 2007. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.