The American War in Iraq - Essay Example

The American War in Iraq The American led war on Iraq is currently considered to have been one of the biggest foreign policy mistakes have been made by this country in the twenty first century. This is mainly because of the fact that the war was made under false pretenses since the Bush administration claimed that it has tangible evidence showing that the Baathist regime that ruled Iraq at the time was a direct threat to the United States. The main reason for the American invasion was based in the belief that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and because of its perceived involvement with al Qaeda, it was believed that these weapons could be used against the United States. The result of this and other allegations against the Iraqi regime is that the war in Iraq began in 2003 and its first phase culminated with the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein, its leader. The result of the fall of the Hussein regime is that there arose a lot of sectarian tension within Iraq as those Shiite leaders who had gone into exile in Iran and other countries in the world returned from exile to agitate for more authority to be placed in their hands. Moreover, the fact that the Sunni, who had long dominated the political scene of the country were a minority made them feel that if a majority Shiite government took power, they would be discriminated against. Furthermore, the Shiite community, long dominated and oppressed by the Sunni leadership, bore a lot of animosity towards the latter community and now with the new political power that they possessed, felt that the time had come for them to avenge themselves on their oppressors. The Baathist regime that ruled Iraq before it was overthrown by the American forces had been dominated by Sunnis, a minority group in the country. Because of their minority status, the ruling party secured its position through ensuring that all other groups that posed a threat to their rule were either subjugated or was cowed into submission (Foote, Block, Crane & Gray, 2004). The people who suffered the most from the atrocities committed by the Baath regime were the Shiites and the Kurds, with many of them dying and been buried in mass graves in secret locations. The Kurds were subjected to such brutal treatment by the Baath regime that they came to be considered as second class citizens in their own country. The beginning of the war in Iraq enabled the Kurds for the first time in recent history to gain the opportunity for self determination because of these circumstances; they were able to give some support to the American forces when they moved to occupy Iraq. The result that the Kurds ended up being given more autonomy under the American sponsored Iraqi government that succeeded that of Saddam Hussein. In this way, the Kurds were able to elect and form their own government without any fear of interference from the new Iraqi government and this ensured that they had more control over their political lives while at the same time being able to control significant parts of the natural resources in their region (Tezcur, 2011; Tsafos, 2006). The Kurds, who had for a long time been discriminated against and shunned in Iraq because of their agitation for more autonomy and their bid to unify with fellow Kurds in the Middle East to form their own state, finally got the opportunity to dictate their own future. One would suggest that American involvement in Iraq was a positive outcome for the Kurds because it enabled them to not only gain autonomy within Iraq, but also provided them with the ability of self-determination. The war in Iraq was conducted as a part of the war on terror and because of these circumstances, the Iraqi government was considered to be a direct threat to the security of the United States. The first phase of the war in Iraq ended with the capture of long term dictator Saddam Hussein and this ensured that his supporters were demoralized and stopped the overt fighting against American forces. However, this also began the second phase of the war, where, mostly Sunni groups rose up to fight against the American occupation and these groups also chose to target Shiite communities which were believed to be supporters of the United States and a threat to Sunni dominance and life in the country. The result was the rise of sectarian violence which the American forces had to step in to ensure that it did not turn into a full scale war between the two major sects (Bowen, 2010). The fact that a large number of people died during this phase of the war has been blamed on the manner in which the United States handled the political situation in the country by largely ignoring the views of those who had supported the Baath Party and instead putting their faith on only moderate Sunnis and Shiites to govern the country. Those communities living in Iraq that felt excluded from the political process ended up with the perception that they were under siege from the majority Shiite community and this led to several of them to give their support to the groups which promoted sectarian violence. The result of this violence was that a large number of Iraqis from both sides of the conflict died because of the suicide and car bombs which were placed in the neighborhoods of each other’s rivals. The ability of the United States military to keep a lid over the sectarian conflict put a massive strain on its abilities and this was because of the fact that gathering enough intelligence concerning the possible attacks was extremely difficult. Moreover, the American forces were considered to be the enemy of both sides and this created a situation where it was difficult for them to work with the majority of the locals to ensure that all the regions of Iraq were safe from the sudden attacks which marked the sectarian violence. It was during this period that a large number of American forces were killed as a result of the peacekeeping mission in the various Iraqi neighborhoods that they were attempting to protect (Duggan, 2012). In addition, the covert nature of the attacks targeting both American and Shiite interests across the country led to a situation where it was difficult for both the American forces and the Iraqi government that they were propping up to make accurate guesses concerning where the next possible attacks were going to take place. The ability of radical Sunni forces to work towards making attacks over their targets without necessarily being caught or there being serious consequences for their actions seems to have emboldened them to the extent that they made even more attacks (Powers, 2006). The largest number of victims or casualties in these attacks tended to be Iraqi civilians who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and contributed to the growing animosity between the Shiite and Sunni in the country, making the problem even worse than it already was. The result of the animosity between these two sects was that the problem of sectarian violence in Iraq became even more difficult to solve because neither side was willing to relent since a lot of blood had been spilled. The fact that Iraq, after the fall of Saddam Hussein, quickly fell into anarchy ensured that it became an opportunistic breeding ground for terrorists and terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda were quick to fill the vacuum left by the lack of effective government. The ability of al Qaeda to get involved in Iraq showed a complete lack of effective government in the aftermath of the fall of the Baath regime. Most of the individuals who were part of this organization within Iraq were mostly foreigners from other Arab countries who saw an opportunity to spread their agenda in a practically lawless country (Stover, Sissons, Pham & Vinck, 2008). The presence of al Qaeda in Iraq was one of the most daunting tasks which the American forces had to deal with and this was because of the fact that this organization was one of the best organized fighting units in the country. Because of the active financial and other logistical support that it received from the rest of the Middle East, al Qaeda in Iraq was able to develop a strong base in Iraq, which could not be easily challenged either by the Iraqi government or the American forces. Thus, al Qaeda in Iraq grew with such confidence that it was able not only to carry out attacks against American and Iraqi targets, but it also managed to carry out a series of kidnappings which made its presence more acutely felt. Moreover, because of the confidence that it felt, al Qaeda was also able to record and post graphic videos of the executions of American civilians who they had kidnapped in Iraq. These videos were shown as propaganda to show Iraqis the weakness of the United States in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. While this may have been the case, it is a fact that the American armed forces in Iraq were up to the task to deal with al Qaeda and they did it so effectively that in a few years, most of its most prominent leaders were killed and only small pockets of this group remained to be dealt with. Despite the failure of investigators to find that weapons of mass destruction that had been the reason for the Iraq war, the American government repackaged its decision to invade as being for the purpose of bringing freedom to the Iraqi people. The result of this turnaround is that the Americans chose to work with the majority Shiite leadership as well as leaders who were considered to be moderate Sunnis in an attempt to stabilize the country by forming an interim government. The interim Iraqi government was formed for the purpose of ensuring that all the people of Iraq were brought together in an attempt to determine their own future through the formulation of a new constitution as well as the development of initiatives which would make it possible for there to be peace between the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites of Iraq (Barnett, Eggleston & Webber, 2003). The sectarian violence that has been discussed above was at this time rife in the country and it is only because of the American led efforts to create an interim government that some of the violence quelled for a while. The quelling of violence, albeit temporarily, allowed for the reconstruction of the country after the devastations of the worst of the war. The fact that a large number of contractors that were hired to deal with the reconstruction of this country were Iraqis themselves ensured that there was more confidence among the people of Iraq in the allied countries that had intervened in their country (Nabarro, Loretti & Colombo, 2003). Because one of the specified reasons for the invasion of Iraq was the promotion of freedom and democracy, it was necessary for the United States to ensure that the government which was formed in Iraq was democratic. With this in mind, the democratic constitution of Iraq was formulated for the purpose of ensuring that all Iraqis were active participants in the determination of their future. The ability of the new government to assert itself was mainly through the support of the support of the United States and its allies and this support is what has enabled it to remain stable in the face of the various problems that have come to plague it. The ability of the new Iraqi government to deal with the many challenges that it has had to face since its inauguration has come to question in recent months. This lack of confidence in the Iraqi government, especially by the United States and its allies that were involved in Iraq, has been based on the fact that the Shiite dominated government has taken a hostile stance against those Sunnis who were in government; essentially ending the direct route to dialogue and peace between the two groups. Moreover, it is because of the moves made by the current Iraqi government that has led to the intensification of the sectarian violence that has become a basic characteristic of Iraq over the past few years as more Sunni have felt that their sect is being marginalized by the majority Shiite government. It is because of this that there has recently been growing support for the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an offshoot of al Qaeda, which has grown in strength in recent months through its brutal tactics and propaganda. Because of its growing strength, ISIL has been able, in recent weeks, to capture large swaths of territory and are currently threatening to capture the capital itself (“Iraq hits back at ISIL with airstrikes”, 2014). The ability of the Iraqi government to defend its people from the terror unleashed by this group as well as to defend its authority has been marred by the breaking down of order within its armed forces. For the most part, despite the superior training and the large numbers of the Iraqi military, the latter has largely fallen before the onslaught of ISIL forces, leaving behind hi-tech weapons and equipment which will most likely be used against them in future battles. The fact that its armed forces are running away from their responsibility to defend the Iraqi people has seriously weakened the position of the Iraqi government and it is yet to be seen whether it will be able to deal with this situation in a swift manner before ISIL is able to capture Baghdad and oversee the fall of all legal authority in the country. In conclusion, the discussion above has covered the reasons behind the American led invasion of Iraq as well as the results of this invasion on the lives of average Iraqis. Moreover, one would suggest that despite the fact that Iraq was invaded over false allegations against its ruling regime, this country has made significant steps towards developing into a successful Middle Eastern democracy. This democratic development has been marred by the intolerant attitude of the Shiite dominated leadership towards minority sects as well as the sectarian violence which has worked towards the undermining of the authority of the government. Furthermore, the fact that the Iraqi government has over the past few days lost significant amounts of territory to ISIL and has been unable to stop the activities of terror by this group over civilians has put a bad name on it and it is possible that it will lose the confidence of its allies. Finally, one would suggest that the real winners of the invasion of Iraq are the Kurds because these people, after being oppressed for so long by the authorities in Baghdad, have come to realize self determination and have managed to attain a level of autonomy that they could only dream of a generation ago. The Kurds have now become masters of their own destinies, and it is yet to be seen how their new found freedoms are going to play out in the now volatile political scene of Iraq. References Barnett, J., Eggleston, B., & Webber, M. (2003). Peace and development in post-war Iraq. Middle East Policy, 10(3), 22-32. Bowen, S. W. (2010). A golden moment: Applying Iraqs hard lessons to strengthen the U.S. approach to stabilization and reconstruction operations. The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, 34 (2), 17-34. Duggan, S. E. (2012). Redefining the relationship: Reclaiming American public diplomacy from the US military in Iraq. The Middle East Journal, 66 (1), 53-78. Foote, C., Block, W., Crane, K., & Gray, S. (2004). Economic policy and prospects in Iraq. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18 (3), 47-70. Iraq hits back at ISIL with airstrikes. (2014, Jun 13). Gulf News. Nabarro, D., Loretti, A., & Colombo, A. (2003). Increased equity in post conflict reconstruction. The Lancet, 362 (9396), 1673. Powers, J. (2006). Iraqs youth in a time of war. The SAIS Review of International Affairs, 26 (2), 17-28. Stover, E., Sissons, M., Pham, P., & Vinck, P. (2008). Justice on hold: Accountability and social reconstruction in Iraq. International Review of the Red Cross, 90 (869), 5-28. Tezcur, G. (2011). The Kurdish quasi-state: Development and dependency in post-gulf war Iraq. Choice, 48(6), 1164. Tsafos, N. E. (2006). Geography and oil politics in Iraq. The SAIS Review of International Affairs, 26(1), 63-64. Read More