CE Week #1: “Pointing to a New Era, U.S. Pulls Back as Iraqis Vote”
BAGHDAD — Iraqis across the country voted Saturday in provincial elections that will help shape their future, but regardless of the outcome it is clear that the Americans are already drifting offstage — and that most Iraqis are ready to see them go.
The signs of mutual disengagement are everywhere. In the days leading up to the elections, it was possible to drive safely from near the Turkish border in the north to Baghdad and on south to Basra, just a few miles from the Persian Gulf — without seeing an American convoy. In the Green Zone — once host to the American occupation government, and now the seat of the Iraqi government — the primary PX is set to close, and the Americans have retreated to their vast, garrisoned new embassy compound. Iraqi soldiers now handle all Green Zone checkpoints.
American helicopters and drones may be in the sky, but Iraqi boots are on the ground. The Americans are already worried about securing the road to Kuwait because soon they will have to start hauling out much of the infrastructure they have built on bases across Iraq.
The end of an era comes not in a single moment, but looking back it has become evident that the mood has changed, power has shifted, the world is not the same.
In the United States, many Americans view the war as already over, even though more than 140,000 American soldiers remain on Iraqi soil.
President Obama has made it plain that Iraq is not his war; he wants to focus on Afghanistan. In an economic crisis, there is simply not enough money for the country to keep spending hundreds of millions of dollars a day in Iraq.
Any arguments that remain in Washington about the shape and timing of the troop withdrawal this year seem almost moot here, given how much Iraqis want to show they can govern on their own and how much Americans want to hand over responsibility to the Iraqis so they can meet withdrawal deadlines.
This is not to suggest that the war is over. In two provinces, Nineveh and Diyala, counterinsurgency operations are still under way, and the military is tracking signs of activity by Sunni extremist groups in the troubled areas surrounding Baghdad. For now, the rest of the country is mostly calm. The provincial elections will test political stability: whether Iraqis can begin to resolve still festering sectarian and ethnic tensions through the ballot box. The formal process of disengagement started in earnest in November, when the Iraqi Parliament approved a new security agreement with the Americans that sealed the date of departure, by the end of 2011, and almost immediately changed the balance of power.
The outlook of Iraqi citizens has changed as well. They are more confident that their problems are their own, and that the Americans cannot fix them and often have only made matters worse.
“The American military presence brought nothing to our streets but destruction and chaos,” said Omar al-Dulaimi, 57, a government employee who lives near the Um al-Khoura mosque, one of the largest Sunni places of worship in the capital. “We had nothing from them but tension and confusion. It’s much better for us and for them if they stay in their bases now.”
That resentment of the American presence boiled over in 2007 after Blackwater Security guards opened fire on Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, killing 17 of them and wounding more than 30. That episode, which was widely publicized in Iraq and abroad, crystallized Iraqi loathing and resentment of what they saw as Americans’ casual disregard for Iraqi lives — and their own powerlessness to hold the Americans to account.
Such anger helped embolden Iraqis to drive a tough bargain on the security agreement, which cemented their sense that they were, at last, seizing control of their own destiny. The Iraqi resolve surprised the Americans, who in the end were forced to accept a hard deadline for departure, give up immunity for contractors like Blackwater and give Iraqis explicit authority over all military operations in the country.
Now, for both sides there is the feeling that something has changed and that whatever happens next, Iraq will not return to the way it was.
“We’re going through transition in Iraq at the same time we’re going through transition in our forces here,” said Gen. Ray Odierno, the commanding general for Iraq. “They will elect new provincial governments. I believe 75 percent to 80 percent of the provincial governments will change, and oh, by the way, we’ll begin to reduce our troops’ size.”
The shifts are subtle, often unspoken. The American military role now has less to do with protecting Iraqis and more with giving them the psychological reassurance that they can handle what comes their way. The Americans no longer tell the Iraqis what to do, and the Iraqis, especially Iraqi Army officers, no longer look to the Americans for approval. At least that is the case in areas where the fighting has stopped; less so in areas like Mosul where American military might is still required to keep violence at bay.
When General Odierno stopped to inspect a polling center in rural Medaen, south of Baghdad, on Wednesday, his conversation with the Iraqi Army general who oversees the area was respectful, a little formal: two military men exchanging information. It was not exactly a conversation between equals; each knew that the other was from a different world, each knew the Americans have superior arms and training, and each offered the other his observations.
“I see less Sunni-Shia issues than I do a lot of other issues here,” General Odierno said.
Gen. Qassim al-Maliki nodded. “We have a lot of Shia voting this time,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot in the last election,” he said.
As the American military slowly steps back, the diplomats and the civilians are emerging from the wings. Certainly, this is far from a normal diplomatic relationship. Iraqis entering any area close to the Americans are still subject to multiple humiliating searches and interminable waits. American diplomats cannot yet leave the embassy; they live like virtual prisoners, every movement beyond its gates an armed undertaking. But it is possible for Americans and Iraqis to talk about issues other than sheer survival.
Iraqis, too, are beginning to explore a different kind of relationship, one that no longer looks to the Americans only for protection. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has agreed to finance a substantial scholarship program to send Iraqis to the United States and British Commonwealth countries for study, in an effort to create a better educated professional class. Still, the American era in Iraq is nowhere near a final act. If this were an opera, it would be just past midway in the libretto. While both sides are disconnecting, neither can let go entirely.
The Iraqis need the Americans not just to dampen terrorist activities within the country but to protect them from predatory neighbors. Syria and Iran have interfered here since the invasion, and while the Iraqis are often uncomfortable with how the Americans have reined in these powers, they are reluctant to stop them because they fear their neighbors more.
When American forces pursued insurgents over the Iraqi border into Syria in late October, it was an international incident. Iraq was embarrassed in front of the Arab world. Such incidents are likely to recur and could become much more fraught.
For the United States, Iraq remains a strategic prize close to the Middle East flash points of Israel, Lebanon and Syria as well as Iran and the oil-rich Persian Gulf countries. It is not by chance that the Central Intelligence Agency has its largest station in the world in Baghdad.
It is inescapable that the United States exerts more influence here than in any other oil-producing country — and will be intent on continuing to do so. Iraq will be eager to demonstrate its independence; the United States will have to rely on levers other than a huge and continuing military presence. This promises considerable tension as each side redefines its relationship.
The elections on Saturday were a step toward a peaceful approach to settling disagreements among factions about the shape of the country. If new governments are seated from north to south and east to west, the United States and Iraq can begin the next act in earnest.
If all goes well, “The United States will not need big troops here,” said Jawad al-Bolani, the interior minister, a secular Shiite. “The Americans need to look at something besides security. Iraq needs America to start a new chapter.”
Riyadh Mohammed contributed reporting from Baghdad.
This article is very interesting because the media (in America) has been questioning Obama’s ability to keep his promise of withdrawing troops from Iraq and whether it is too soon to do so. This article demonstrates that the Iraqis or at least their leadership is ready to stand on their own two feet. It has been a long time coming. I am a pretty reasonable person and I believe that Bush and Congress had every reason to believe that Iraq had nuclear weapons at the time of invasion, plus Saddam Hussein was comparable to Hitler in many ways, but it is time for America to wean its way out of Iraq. The one statement I don’t agree with about withdrawing troops is that it will save money. If Obama wants to focus on Afghanistan, then won’t more troops go there? Will money really be saved or will it just be put in a different place and toward different motivations, such as finding Osama Bin Laden? (Not to say that is a bad idea). It just seems kind of ironic that “money” is the issue. It is nice to hear that the Iraqi government has a positive outlook toward the future. Maybe if they have confidence it will make them stronger and when we leave the bordering nations won’t invade. I don’t think it will ever be completely stable considering it is a Middle Eastern country, but it sure is a start.
I think it is a really good thing to have them as an ally still though. The CIA can get a lot of intelligence information about the Middle East via Iraq. The more knowledge we have the safer America is (at least in theory). Plus there is always the whole oil issue. America is always looking for oil allies.
Connection: This article can be linked to the defense or military budget. Defense is contributed as one sixth of all federal expenditures. Just because we withdraw from Iraq that doesn’t mean the military budget will go down. There is still Afghanistan, plus all the countries that have Nuclear Weapons.
I have to say that hearing information like this about the state of Iraq’s security definitely makes me reconsider my opinion about this war. Back when our efforts seemed in vain, a surge that didn’t seem to pay off, it seemed like George Bush was a mule, pushing ahead stubbornly in spite of the circumstances. But now, we have a strategic base in Iraq, and some of our stumbles there helped cement their resolve to handle things themselves. The CIA base we now have there makes sense, it’s probably the closest friendly location to have it. The calming of Suuni-Shia hostilities is even more positive, tribal aggressions being calmed for the first time in awhile. But this victory wasn’t won with just perseverance. There was a high toll in human life, and it had a negative impact on our national reputation. However, what’s been done has been done, and so we need to look at what we have now. We have a relatively stable Iraq, with decent diplomatic relations. But we can’t leave yet. For starters, there is much more work to be done. Syria and Iran need to be kept uninvolved, as they’ve tried to insinuate themselves in the past. The insurgency needs to be kept at bay until Iraq can defend itself fully. It would be a grevious waste to leave now, of dollars, of time, of lives.
Connection: Enumerated Powers: For all the faulty intelligence there was, Congress exercised it’s legislative authority to make war on Iraq with the Iraq Resolution, as granted to it by the Constitution.
First of all, I have to say that it is nice to see America beginning to back off a bit in Iraq. The fact that Iraq was able to hold last week’s elections with very little American interference gives me great hope. Not only is a slow withdrawal something that would clearly benefit the American people, but it is also obviously what the new Iraqi government is looking for. We need to allow them to do the job that we have helped to prepare them for. At the same time, to think that America is truly on its way out of Iraq would be completely naive. In addition to the fact that there are still several hot spots within the country that our government wants to keep an eye on, the location of Iraq is, in and of itself, reason enough to maintain military bases there. As the author pointed out, it is very strategically located between danger zones and oil wells. My guess is that the American government will be thinking of any possible excuse to maintain forces in Iraq for as long as we can.
Connection: American forces in South Korea-
Today, over half a century after WWII, we still have troops stationed in South Korea. Communist expansion is no longer a daunting threat, and yet there we are, “protecting” South Korea by maintaining troops on their land. The situation in Iraq is likely to play out in a similar fashion. 50 years from now, we will still likely have troops in Iraq.
“’The American military presence brought nothing to our streets but destruction and chaos,’ said Omar al-Dulaimi, 57, a government employee who lives near the Um al-Khoura mosque, one of the largest Sunni places of worship in the capital. ‘We had nothing from them but tension and confusion. It’s much better for us and for them if they stay in their bases now.”’ Ya, that’s a bunch of bull crap. Iraq would be a terrorist haven if it wasn’t for us saving their butts… I don’t care how our forces stopped those terrorists, but they got the job done, and saved lives, right? Now stop your complaining! It’s better than people making IEDs and blowing up sides of buildings and killing bunches of innocent citizens, right!? Ok, so why don’t you just thank the US for saving your butts, and do the repairs on your own? Just know that when the US moves out, Iraq will be able to control its own country –thanks to the training our US troops have given to them.
Connection: The word “change” is mentioned many times throughout the article and makes me feel that the media is promoting Obama for his “change” that he managed to succeed in over in Iraq… although he did like nothing… But anyways, it shows how the media still seems to be on Obama’s side, partly because his approval ratings are high, and partly because it is still his first 100 days. And partly because things really are changing over in Iraq.
When it comes to the war in Iraq I find myself tremendously split when it comes to certain issues. In my opinion, Omar al-Dulaimi is wrong when he says “The American military presence brought nothing to our streets but destruction and chaos.” As a woman I would never want to live their with the way the woman are treated. With no voice, no power, always covered up, even if Americans only reduced some of the spontaneous killings, then I think Iraq is better off then before. With a previous dictator running their country and using his power to trudge humane ways I think that helping them regain a fair government is more then we are given credit for. However, I find myself against the war in the sense that it’s almost like we went in for wrong reasons and stayed past our welcome. In any matter, I find it very good to hear that they are beginning to hold their independence and don’t need us to boss them around any more. It’s refreshing to hear that Obama’s plan to slowly remove us from Iraq is starting to come into play. I have a true hope for this country in the next few years that America will “pick itself up off it’s feet…” and we will become a stronger nation.
Connection: War Powers Resolution of 1973; President can send troops abroad with congress authorization or without it if there is a serious threat. President has to notify congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and troops cannot stay after 60 days without authorization or declaration of war.
I like to hear some good news every once in a while; and this was pretty good news. Okay, so we’re still in Iraq, big deal; We should all just be happy that we feel comfortable enough to allow Iraq to give it-a-go on there own. Contrary to a lot of attitudes and publications, I never felt like we had over stepped our boundaries by entering Iraq! Yes, there oil and strategic location definitely hasn’t hurt us thus far. I still believe that regardless of the plus’, we entered Iraq with good intentions, and as we are slowly trying to faze out of Iraq we can only pray that our efforts have done some good rather than bad. I can totally understand the Iraqi’s feeling of resentment and shame, but we were only helping them out. It may sound a bit big-headed but you can compare this to when a parent corrects their child; Naturally the child is going to have resentment towards the parent initially. Eventually the child usually feels appreciation and thanks or apologizes to the adult and the two move on. That is just roughly how I see this whole situation though I don’t feel like the Iraqi’s should apologize.
CONNECTION:
This situation directly connects with almost any other time the U.S. has invaded another country, regardless of justification or no justification. Naturally nobody wants to admit they have a problem so they blame us for trying to help them. Today we may not be a country that is loved, but maybe tomorrow this great nation will be looked upon differently.
This article was interesting because it really expresses how the war has had a different effect on everyone. The Iraqi’s might not think that what we have been doing for them has been beneficial and some of us Americans think we were wasting our time, its just a matter of opinion. Its also interesting to hear about the scholarship programs to study in other countries, since we have been in the middle of a war for a while now, the reassurance that we all want the future generations to have the most opportunities and experiences as possible is nice to hear. This also changed my feelings on the war as well, I can now look at is non-biased and see how each side has been effected and what the effects are doing to the people and the rest of the world. The aritcle mentions that we are possibly spending way too much money in Iraq, and its good to know that President Obama is going to focus his efforts on another part of the world.(Afganistan)He has been keeping his promise in that respect and I think that is going to earn him some popularity among the United States people.
Connection: This can be connected to many things, first of all, the OMB (office of management of budget) and factoring into our nations already sky-rocketed debt. It can also be related to the discussion we had in class about where our ___ cents on the dollar goes, and much of that is to the defense, so we can be the almighty in military and thats where we spend a vast majority of money.
Honestly, I never really understood why we went into Iraq in the first place. It seemed like we went there just to be there because they were close to the country that attacked us. I doubt that is the case, but I don’t have any other answers, so that is just the way I’ve always seen it. Whatever the reason may be, I guess it’s a good thing that they are getting back on their feet after we decided to change their government for them.
Although it may sound bad for us, it’s probably a good thing that they don’t want us to do everything for them anymore. They are beginning to be more independent, and they want to be able to practice that independence. Maybe if they are able to do things on their own faster, we will be able to bring our troops home sooner. If our troops aren’t wanted, there shouldn’t be any reason to make them stay.
From what it sounds like in this article, their government has been set up and seems to be running smoothly so far. The only thing we really need to worry about for them is their surrounding countries, who seem to have been a problem in the past and continue to be. If and when we do leave, those countries are going to think that it is prime time to attack. They just need to work on border control and then they won’t have to worry about that either. I just hope that we will be able to bring our troops home and they won’t have too much of a problem afterwards.
Connection: I don’t think that we have really gotten too in depth about the war during class. From my blog it is easy to tell that I don’t know much about it. I do know that Obama wants to bring all of the troops home by 2011. There is question whether or not it will actually happen, but hopefully it will. From the looks of this article, it seems like the Iraqis are okay with us leaving, so Obama just needs to keep his side of the bargain.
Well I’m happy to see that we are finally making an absolute deadline to pull out. The Iraqi’s are finally taking total control and can fend for themselves. They have completed a huge step in creating the new government that they need. They need to have control of their own country. The pullout will also help with the economy. We spend millions and millions of dollars on this war that we are making come to a close and that will help us gain some of the budget back. Though the economy often prospers during war, for example World War II ended the Great Depression, we defiantly are not out of the woods yet. I know President Obama wants to gather another group of soldiers and make an attack on Afghanistan, but I think that he will hold out for that. He needs to focus his attention on the current state of the economy, and then head off to go shoot terrorists. As for the pull out, a bonus for Obama is that basically then entire plan to pull the military out was under his administration and he will get the credit for it. At least we are going to keep tabs on the country with our awesome spy planes.
Connection: Nondiscretionary Spending – With the troops being pulled out, this is one less thing that the government will have to plan on spending money on from the budget. They can use this money in other parts of the economy.
This article paints Iraq considerably more stable than our media portrays it. It seems like we, barring a catastrophic event, are going to be able to pull out of Iraq in a few years time. Then off to Afghanistan… It seems that sooner, rather than later, there will be a potentially solid form of government in place in Iraq as the people are having free elections in the “puppet democracy” (Immortal Technique, “Diabolic”) that we have set up there. Hopefully there will not be any aggression, or oppression, by either the Sunnis or Shiites. Hopefully there will be free elections that will leave the country in the best situation to succeed and leave America in the best situation to start ending this “war on terror”.
Anyways, it seems like we overstayed our welcome in Iraq. The Americans are feeling like they are getting slowly zoned out and that the Iraqis are becoming more and more capable of handling their business. So it seems that we are in a position to end this crusade and bring this unfortunate war to an end without starting a nuclear war.
Connection: Effects of the all-powerful media. The media in America seems to have a very unfavorable view of the war in Iraq and the situation that the people are in, while a reporter who is in Iraq shows the country having some hope and stability. It is strange how details change from a different perspective.
This is great. I was hopeful when I first heard of the new independence of the Iraqi’s, hearing of their first police officers, fighting corruption, and turning in insurgents. When the elections first came around it was with an air of doubtful hope. With all of the election problems we have in America I knew that they would have more, and I was toying with the idea that the political machine would be on the rise again in Iraq. I thought of how easy it would be for the election to be disrupted and how embarrassing it would be for the United States and Iraq if something had happened. I believe that with the withdrawal from Iraq they will cease to be an occupied country and become a very powerful ally. With the area that Iraq is in I believe that they will need a strong military especially if they want to demonstrate their independence from America.
Connection: Revenue- I do not know how rich Iraq is nor how developed their job market is. What I do know is that if the government needs money, it will tax oil exports. With even a small tax the revenue will be huge, but it may have a large impact on other countries.
While I was reading this article, I was thinking about one of Bush’s last comments addressed to the public. I cannot recall exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines of, “I hope that someday people will look back and realize that I made hard decisions,” and I wondered what future generations will think of the situation in Iraq and Bush’s role. Based on this article, the Iraqi government seems to be growing more independent. Struggles have been met with success. The Iraqi people are proving that they can govern themselves – wasn’t that Bush’s goal? I wonder if future generations will credit Bush with the “success” in Iraq, or will the credit be given to President Obama, with his goal of withdrawing troops. I do not think, however, that we should withdraw completely just yet. Though we have established relatively good diplomatic relations with Iraq, though the Iraqis are showing that they can do well independently, and though it is clear we are not wanted, “neither can let go entirely”. As stated in the article, military force is not just needed to dampen terrorist activity, but is also needed to protect from hostile action by Syria and Iran. These neighbors of Iraq have been kept at bay; however, they have continually shown aggression. It would be a horrible to think that all the lives were wasted.
Connection: Mandates
Obama promised to withdraw American troops from Iraq, the beginning stages of which have already begun. The American people as a whole will, I think, be very pleased with this because of the unpopular nature of the war. If Obama’s plan works, he will have even more approval.
It is time for the Americans to move out of Iraq and “Iraqis are ready to see them go”. Though there is still much Americans can do for the Iraqis, and much for America to gain if they stayed, more problems will probably be created if the Americans do not get out. To help move America “Obama has made it plain that Iraq is not his war; he wants to focus on Afghanistan.” With the current economic situation, it is beneficial for us to reduce the force we have in Iraq, there are hundreds of millions of dollars being spent everyday that we stay there. America may be a super power, but it can not continue waging more than one war at this time. If the Iraqis think that they are ready to take primary control, then I think that we should let them. American forces have started to cause trouble for Iraq as it pursues insurgents over the border into Syria. They have made many advances since the first election, and the Prime Minister has made moves to finance substantial scholarship programs to create a better educated professional class. Iraq is “eager to demonstrate its independence” and the United States will have to rely on levers rather than a huge and continuing military presence.
Connection: This article can be connected to the Military Budget. Since the war has started the amount of money put into the military has increased to about one fifth of the total budget. If the United States continues to occupy Iraq and proceeds to invade Afghanistan then the cut of the budget for military will continue to increase to a much larger amount.
In response to Savannah Hunka,
I definitely agree with you when you say, “when it comes to the war in Iraq I find myself tremendously split when it comes to certain issues” (Savannah Hunka). I guess it’s just because I’m not a die-hard Democrat or Republican, so I think it’s good to read differing opinions on the matter. And I can absolutely identify with you, Renee, when you say you don’t know much about the war because I really don’t either. It’s not that I’m entirely ignorant of important world affairs; there just aren’t enough minutes in the day after school, sports, and work to catch up on current events. The fact that Obama declares Afghanistan as his main target reinforces the idea that he really is committed to his massive troop withdrawal. Again, I’m not sure where I stand on that issue. I think, however, the biggest nightmare for any concerned parent would be to celebrate the safe arrival home of a son/daughter, only to find out that he/she needs to be sent BACK to the war effort. I don’t know how those parents handle it all. It’s a pretty unnerving situation. I’m sure there are many people who would agree with Omar al-Dulaimi that American presence in Iraq has been inappropriate and wasted, but there are those who will always beg to differ. I guess we’ll see how things go from here.
In response to Dave:
Wow Dave, I completely agree. I have never felt so enlightened before. Every Muslim I’ve ever known has been a terrorist until they came to the United States. The United States is a melting pot, and we accept everyone. Except those child killing, woman beating, pervert, terrorizing Iraqis. I mean, the United States is pretty much all holy, and the savior of the entire world. We have to protect the world from the crazy extremists packed into the Middle East. Also, they have all of our oil. We should not be limited to the total protection of the world, we should completely control it. This is inclusive of all nations and their resources. We earned it right? We beat the Brits in the revolution, we kicked the Nazi’s in World War II, and we knocked out all those Communists. So, this seat on the international throne is totally ours, damn it! I’m 100% on your side when I ask, why aren’t those ungrateful fools bowing down to us? Without us, Iraq wouldn’t have its sense of independence. Without us, China wouldn’t have sweatshops (And isn’t the American Dream to have cheap shoes?) Jesus once said, “Do everything you can to get ahead.” Wait, no, that was Donald Trump.
In response to Dave/Savannah;
I cannot believe that I missed that part of the article. Seriously how could the Iraqi’s complain about the chaos that we brought on them? Have they forgotten about Saddam Hussein one of the most tyrannical men of all history whom is comparable to Hitler? The man used the police to kill people in their own homes! They had no safety at all back in the dictatorship and now they are complaining about how they are not safe enough. It seems to me that at least this Iraqi expected America to come in and just blow out the terrorists then leave. He kind of forgot about how these beasts are willing to strap bombs on themselves to kill people. It is up to Iraq to save itself from the terrorists, we were just there to give them a fighting chance.
In response to David Marshall:
Wow. If Iraqis were “killing bunches of innocent citizens”, than what do you call what we as Americans were doing? I will admit that we did get some of the people that we were after, but there were tons and tons of innocent citizens massacred in our campaign in Iraq.
“They say the rebels in Iraq still fight for Saddam, But that’s bull*expletive*, I’ll show you why it’s totally wrong, Cuz if another country invaded the hood tonight, It’d be warfare through Harlem, and Washington Heights, I wouldn’t be fightin’ for Bush or White America’s dream, I’d be fightin’ for my people’s survival and self-esteem, I wouldn’t fight for racist churches from the south, my *expletive*, I’d be fightin’ to keep the occupation out, my *expletive*”, (Immortal Technique, “Bin Laden”). It seems like, to an extent, that the presence of American troops may have caused some of the animosity that continues in Iraq. Today there probably are still terrorists that are just more underground, but there are also people in Iraq who are solely against America, rather than in the religious war that plagues the country. So in my opinion, the American intrusion into Iraq simply made the continuing war evolve, not totally dissipate. But apparently America could do no wrong… right?
“I love this *expletive* country, And she loved me more than I could imagine, So I waited till she slept then I stepped into traffic”, (Atmosphere, “Angelface”).
In response to Haley:
First of all, I disagree with you, and anyone else who says that Bush had EVERY REASON to enter Iraq. Even though his administration defended him by saying that they had a huge amount of intelligence that proved that there were, in fact, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, I still believe a small part of the decision was influenced by our nation’s (and Bush’s) outrage following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The presidency is supposed to be an even-headed institution, and I believe more thought should have been put into Bush’s decision to invade Iraq.
Anyway, I disagreed with the decision then, but today the decision doesn’t seem all that bad. Despite the thousands of American lives that have been lost throughout the war, it seems that our armed forces have done a decent job in stabilizing an unstable country. Also, I agree with you in that it seems a little odd that money is the central issue in Obama’s decision to withdraw troops. I can’t see focusing our forces on Afghanistan saving that much more money. I think that, just like the war in Iraq, this decision to (invade?) Afghanistan will end up getting out of hand and we will be spending much more money than we could have ever imagined.
In response to Kyle: I agree that it is very good that Iraq is starting to stand on its own feet finally. It does put everything into perspective a little bit about the war. For a long time it seemed like nothing was really being accomplished except for the fact that a bunch of people kept dying and that soldiers were getting blown up. But now that we are finally seeing some results, it seems a little less pointless. It is funny how people will trash talk something to death and go on and on about how wrong something is, but then when it is finished and they see the results, then they say how great it was. I think that this is how it is going to be with the war in Iraq. People have been saying for years about how it’s such a terrible thing and that George Bush was so terrible for leading us into a war there, but now that they are becoming more independent I believe that the people will all start saying how it was such a wonderful thing that our country did by getting in there and helping them set up a stable government. I wonder how that will affect the public’s opinion of President Bush. I bet he will become more popular as time goes on, but it definitely will take some time. I also wonder how the war is going to affect Obama’s presidency. I think that if we don’t end the war soon, it could hurt him in the next election big time.
In response to Savannah Hunka:
There are some things I agree with you on, and some that I don’t. I feel like it is a good thing that we are slowly giving back the independence to Iraq, as that is less money that our nation has to fork out for saving their butts. However, you stated that you felt like we went to war for the wrong reasons. Have you already forgotten the day that you saw two buildings, buildings that represent our nation’s wealth and prosperity, a great symbol for America, burst into flame? Have you forgotten already the fury that you felt against these evil enemies that we fight today? And let me ask you one more thing, have you forgotten the desire to make things right, to seek vengeance upon those that brought this destruction, to do what you can to lessen the suffering of the families in New York that have lost their loved ones? Well, I guess if you have forgotten all of these things, then yes, this war is not worth fighting for. But I, I remember it all! This war is a war that will keep going probably until the day I die. But it is a justified war to keep people safe around the world.
In response to Dave Marshall,
I also have to agree with you when you questioned the sheer sanity of that Iraqi employee quote and also stated that Iraq would still be a terrorist haven if if wasn’t for our American intercession. I believe that the whole reason this war has been shed in such a negative light is all the fault of the media. From the beginning they have only portrayed America as a big nosy, power hungry do-what-we-want when-we-want how-we-want military force. They blamed Bush for all of the international problems and then ridiculed him when he started doing things about them. In Iraq they also publicized the worst stories and pictures of American soldiers killing civilians and of Iraqis trembling in fear of the American military. On the contrary, the media forgets that America saved this country from terrorist annihilation. They forget all the beautiful pictures of Iraqis weeping in joy, dancing on the fallen bin Laden statue. They never publicize the stories of friendship between American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Ultimately, all I can hope is that in the future when emotions have cooled down and the media moves on and finds something else to make a story about, that our grandchildren will view the Iraq war as an act of saving grace on the part of America.
In response to Tyler:
““Obama has made it plain that Iraq is not his war; he wants to focus on Afghanistan.” With the current economic situation, it is beneficial for us to reduce the force we have in Iraq, there are hundreds of millions of dollars being spent everyday that we stay there.” Obama doesn’t want to be in Iraq because it was “Bush’s war,” so be would rather take the troops out of Iraq and stop spending the money there just so that he can spend that money and send those troops to fight his own war in Afghanistan? A war is a war no matter where it is and we can not afford to be in any war right now. What we really need to be doing is focusing on our own problems for a while.
Also what is going to happen when 2011 comes and all of our troops are gone. “In two provinces, Nineveh and Diyala, counterinsurgency operations are still under way, and the military is tracking signs of activity by Sunni extremist groups in the troubled areas surrounding Baghdad.” These groups are just going to hang out until we leave in 2011. Setting a deadline for somethings makes sense and getting out troops out is a good idea, but setting a date to share to the world is not a good idea. Not only are the the extremist around Baghdad going to just wait until we leave but so are the neighbors like Syria and Iran. I guess we will just have to wait and see how Obama’s plans lay out.