Perhaps one of the biggest problems in United States foreign policy is one of the most overlooked Рthe war in Iraq. Foreign policy experts are busying themselves with much smaller and more mundane problems, ignoring what has become the clich̩. To many, it seems too simple to even be worthy of a solution: the United States, led by George W. Bush, entered into an unprompted war with the nation of Iraq under the guise of fighting terrorism Рthough the terrorist network whose attack prompted any and all U.S. defensive action was based in Afghanistan, where troops were already instated. However, we are so deeply embedded in the seams of the Iraqi nation-state at this point that there is no simple solution to a simple problem.
In my paper, I plan to examine the true motivation behind the invasion by US troops of Iraq given the president’s reasoning as well as possible foreign policies advantages gained by the invasion. I will also delve into the human struggle of Iraq, and how the troop surge has affected it in either a positive or negative way, involving US foreign aid and what sort of role it has played in the civilian’s lives.
Most importantly, I will look at the biggest problem staring America in the face concerning the war – how to end it. Billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent in what many consider a pointless (and fruitless) war in Iraq, and with the new “bailout bill” on Wall Street, Americans simply cannot afford to keep this going. Many politicians argue that pulling troops at this point would cause a complete breakdown of Iraqi society. Others, in turn, argue that American’s have no place in Iraq in the first place, and demand immediate pulling of troops. Then enters the problem of setting up a democracy in Iraq – is it necessary? Iraqi people democratically voted in Shari’a law, a religious, sexist, and oppressive law form governed by Muslim tradition and leaving little room for traditional western democracy. Do we, as practically a governing nation, instate a democratic government and force it to stick? Do we allow the new Iraqi government to decide for themselves what kind of rule they want to assert? And, if so, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of our occupation to begin with?
My plan is to propose answers to these questions and solutions to these problems. I will make connections and disband others between the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan as well as the September 11th attacks on the United States. With a new president on the horizon, a 700 billion dollar bailout bill in Washington, and an economic recession plaguing our nation, one less pointless war is one big hurdle we, as a nation, need to clear.
