A Justified War

More than two years after the start of the Iraq war, the question remains, "Is the war in Iraq justifiable?" Despite the fact that the stated reasons for invading Iraq (to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction), the Iraq war is justified for three reasons. First, the world is safer without Saddam Hussein in power. Secondly, Iraq itself is on the way to becoming a democracy, illustrated in the elections that have already taken place in that country. Lastly, by invading Iraq, the United States has furthered the war against terrorism. There are many terrorists that have been killed on the streets of Baghdad since the war began.

Iraq, and the world, is much safer now that Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. There have been several instances where Saddam overstepped his bounds when he was in power. For example, in 1988, Saddam ordered an extensive campaign against the Kurds in northern Iraq. Hundreds of villages were demolished and depopulated, and chemical weapons were also used. Thousands of people were killed. Iraqi forces also gassed the Kurds, killing 5,000 of them in a single day.

In 1990, Saddam Hussein used Iraqi troops to invade Kuwait, instigating the Persian Gulf War. Allegedly, Iraqi soldiers tortured and executed prisoners in Kuwait.

These are just some of the crimes committed by Saddam Hussein when he was in power. Whether Saddam was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction or not, Iraq is a much safer, better place to live without him, and there is one less tyrant to taunt the world. Furthermore, Saddam Hussein defied numerous UN resolutions. He could have avoided the Iraq invasion by complying.

With the United States taking the lead, Iraq is slowly but surely becoming a democracy. In January 2005, millions of Iraqis proudly cast their ballots in that country's first free election in 50 years. According to the U.S. State Department, more than 98 percent of the country's polling centers that were scheduled to open actually did so. Though there was violence exerted by Iraqi insurgents, the streets of Baghdad were not "filled with blood," as the insurgents had threatened. The election, thus, was a remarkable success. If the United States had not invaded Iraq, the country would still be a dictatorship and definitely not on the