War In Iraq

Rush to War

The tragedies of lost lives and the terrorized minds of war veterans have opened our eyes to the extraordinary cost of going to war. President Bush's desire to rid the dictatorship of Sadaam Hussein by sending American troops into harms way has rekindled the lessons of the past. Were our reasons justified for invading Iraq? Did we have United Nations support? Did we consider the ramifications of our attack and have a plan that would resolve this pursuit in a timely manner? The increase of terrorism across the world, the financial implications that have been imposed upon our continued presence in Iraq, and the ever-growing death toll have raised questions in most Americans minds as to whether or not our invasion of Iraq was justified. The right war was in Afghanistan where the Al Qaeda terrorist cells were operating. Once we shifted our focus onto Iraq more terrorist threats and assaults were made all over the world. The United States involvement in Iraq after 911 was unnecessary and the wrong direction for America.

However, not everyone believes this. Several Americans, along with our President feel that the United States involvement in Iraq was in fact necessary. The real threat of Sadaam Hussein and his nuclear capabilities imposed fears in the minds of some Americans. Our President believed that a world without Sadaam would be a safer, more peaceful place. Also, instilling a democracy in Iraq would be in the best interests of the Iraqi people but also help stabilize the Middle East. Democracy would enable them to hold open elections for their own officials and begin to live more freely. Invading Iraq was the decision that was made to accomplish this mission.

President Bush's fear of Sadaam Hussein creating weapons of mass destruction was in the minds of almost all leaders of the United Nations. The United Nations agreed to initiate weapons inspections to deal with this threat and did so with extensive, exhaustive efforts but through this process discovered absolutely no weapons of mass destruction. Thus, at this point there was no valid reason or a consensus by the United Nations to invade. Convinced of the fact that he still believed weapons of mass destruction existed, President Bush stepped away from the United Nations inspection process and threatened Sadaam Hussein with an attack if he did not disarm. This decision to act without the support of the United Nations and other world powers left us vulnerable to the uncertainties and strength that could have been utilized if continued talks and inspections went forward. Continued inspections would have shown the American people as well as the rest of the world that Sadaam Hussein indeed was not harboring any weapons of mass destruction, thereby eliminating the need to go to war. Building a stronger unified world alliance including world powers as well as Middle Eastern nations would have taken the focus off the united states eliminating the terrorist argument that the United States is trying to conquer the arab world. This alliance would also have created less of a financial burden on the United States and providing a stronger front against the Iraq regime.

Sadaam Hussein was not a threat to our Homeland security. He imposed no immediate threat to our country or the safety of the American people. Our borders are no safer now than they were before the war in Iraq. Not to mention the enormous cost this war has caused in excess of over 200 billion dollars with no end in sight. If the money had been spent in capturing terrorists and creating a stronger homeland security we would be in a much more secure environment now with no massive losses of innocent Iraqi and American lives. The most recent estimates the Bush administration can provide is that our troops are expected to leave Iraq in the next 4-10 years. Rushing into war without a proper exiting plan can be demonstrated by there inadequate supplies and manpower in order to secure the country.

The support of the United Nations is vital in keeping our bonds with our allies held