War in Iraq There Was Another Option Essay example

War in Iraq: There Was Another Option 1. As our brave men and women in uniform find themselves embroiled again in a conflict in the Middle East, debate surrounding the timeliness and necessity of this second Gulf conflict has ceased in most professional circles. However, before the current conflict began, controversy raged over when and how to best prosecute this situation. Many argued that the United States should have worked through the United Nations to pursue a resolution that had the consensus of the world behind it. That endeavor, however, was doomed to failure from the start. The United States sought to solve this dilemma using military force. France and Germany desired to diffuse it using anything but force. In order to†¦show more content†¦However, what is the likelihood the Saddam Hussein would have used them on the United States or even our allies in the region? Recent history demonstrates that it was not very likely. Up until the first Gulf War, Iraq was an ally, in some sense of the word, of the Un ited States. The US government supported Saddam Hussein in his battle with Iran because we opposed the Shia fundamentalists in Tehran. We gave Hussein, through American contractors, many of the chemical agents we sought to disarm him of. In fact, Donald Rumsfeld, now Secretary of Defense, arranged some of the deals himself (Mearsheimer 47). American relations with Iraq were cordial until Saddam Hussein initiated an attack against his neighbors in Kuwait in 1991. Many war supporters used this as evidence that Hussein acts irrationally and without contemplating the consequences of his actions. However, this assertion is absurd given the facts surrounding the first Gulf War. 4. Before invading Kuwait, Iraq essentially asked US Ambassador April Glaspie if the United States had any opposition to Iraqs taking action against Kuwait. She responded with the now famous line â€Å"We have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts or your border disagreement with Kuwait† (47). The State Department had earlier told Saddam that Washington had â€Å"no special defense or security commitments to Kuwait† (47). Saddam Hussein, not wanting to anger his ally, asked ourShow MoreRelatedEssay about Assessment of the War in Iraq1621 Words   |  7 PagesSaddam Hussein was indeed a ruthless dictator who violated human rights and caused conflicts in the Middle East. Despite this, his threat to the world community was largely overstated by the US in its justifications for going to war. His reputation as crazy and unpredictable was countered in his psychological assessment, which clearly shows his motivations and identifies the amount of foresight in every decision h e makes. Basically, his main motivation was to stay in power and he did everything heRead MoreThe Containment Policy Established By George W. Bush After The Gulf War1604 Words   |  7 Pages The Containment Policy established by George W. Bush after the Gulf War is the most viable option for the United States. The Containment Policy strictly sustains the status quo, and is inexpensive in terms of blood, money, and political capital.The Containment Policy will halter the making of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and will ensure free oil flow from the Gulf, while preventing Iraq from threatening its neighbors. For this reason, a political strategy of containment is comparativelyRead MoreContainment Policy : A Strategy For The Middle East1619 Words   |  7 PagesGeorge Bush Sr. after the Gulf War is the most viable option for the United States when deciding how to stabilize the Middle East. A political strategy of containment strictly sustains the status quo, and is inexp ensive in terms of blood, money, and political capital. Furthering the United States’ containment policy in the context of Iraq will halter the making of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, ensuring the free flow of oil from the Gulf, while preventing Iraq from threatening its neighborsRead MorePolicemen of the World947 Words   |  4 PagesMost people would agree that if the U.S. were to launch missiles to attack Syria in vengeance for their alleged use of the nerve agent sarin against anti- government rebels, it would be another addition to the long list of U.S. foreign military operations. Prior presidents have resulted to war after the country was directly attacked, such as by Japan at the start of WII. But more frequently, American presidents have moved forward without consulting congress, using their authority as the country’sRead MoreThe Effects Of No Fly Zones On The Iraqi Military And Economy1554 Words   |  7 PagesOn September 11, 2001, 2,752 peopl e were killed at the World Trade Center resulting in the largest loss of life on American soil by a foreign nation. The culprit of the most devastating loss in America was the radical terrorist group Al Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden, putting George W. Bush at the forefront of the Middle East Crisis. His actions should result in the continuation of the containment policy. This policy has been in place for years, and it allows the U.S. to get involved in other countriesRead MoreThere Are Many Theoretical Perspectives Used When Examining1646 Words   |  7 Pageshistory itself. Before the second world war the international system was multipolar. This system best facilitates conflict because multiple states hold influence and power and when disagreement occurs they have the ability to act out of concern for state security. The cold war was a period of peace and was considered to be a system of bipolarity between the Soviet Union and the United States. This developed into a hegemonic sys tem where the United States was unipolar therefore had the most power.Read MoreShould Us Go To War In Iraq Essay820 Words   |  4 Pagespeople believed that our government was looking for a reason to go to war in the middle east, specifically with Iraq. We believed that the â€Å"people of Iraq are an oppressed people, and the world has a duty to help these people† (Kelly). However, after going through the Vietnam war, our citizens did not want to enter into another war and send more soldiers away from home. We were currently having our best years financially in our country and were involved in zero wars. But, looking for ways to have betterRead MoreThe Iraqi Intrusion Of Kuwait On Second Of August 19901607 Words   |  7 Pagestook the world off guard, was quickly seen as the first awesome test of the worldwide group s capacity to keep up steadiness in the wake of the cold war. Saddam Hussein s aggression created alternate oil emergencies, driving up costs. It tested the late recovery in status of the united countries. What s more it brought up issues about the preparation of the US and USSR to coordinate with each other, in circumstances which had connections to Iraq, however Washington was resolved to free KuwaitRead MoreThe Iraq War1487 Words   |  6 PagesIn his 1988 Republican National Convention acceptance speech former U.S. President George H.W. Bush proclaimed that, â€Å"Weakness and ambivalence lead to war.†. For better or worse a states ability to influence world politics is primarily based on much power they have. In purely academic terms, power is the ability of Actor A to get Actor B to do something that B would otherwise not do; the ability to get the other side to make concessions and to avoid having to make concessions oneself (Frieden PRead MoreA Report on a Simulation on Important Political Issues of the Past and Present678 Words   |  3 PagesI represented Nouri Al-Maliki the prime minister of Iraq. The prime minister in Iraq makes the executive decisions. Over the course of this this simulation thankfully I gained a lot of knowledge of how crazy it can be on the political side of things. Not only did I learn about Iraq but also I learned many new things about other countries and the way their governments run things. In the next year or so I will graduate as a High school social studies teacher and after doing this simulation I learned