Americas War on Terror in Afghanistan - Research Paper Example

Justification of U.S. military intervention in other countries United s is currently engaged in wars with many other countries in different parts of the world in the name of war on terror. Iraq was attacked by US twice in recent times; one by Bush Sr. and the other by Bush Jr. The last Iraq war and the ongoing Afghan war were included under the war on terror label. Many people believe that the conflicts with Iran, Libya and North Korea on various issues may force United States to open other war fronts in Middle East and other parts of the world. In any case, America is fighting with other countries all the time one way or other. It is difficult to justify all these wars conducted by United States. The Afghanistan war can be justified up to certain extent because of the brutalities committed by the Muslim fundamentalist group Taliban. Moreover, America has support from the existing Afghanistan political regime in destroying Talibanism from Afghan soil. However, same thing cannot be said about the recent Iraq war. It was conducted against the will of the political administration in Iraq. Moreover, the reasons cited for attacking Iraq were rejected by other countries. The theory of weapons of mass destruction was indigestible to other countries. America is still struggling to justify Iraq war since they failed to seize any weapons of mass destruction from Iraq. This paper analyses in what cases is U.S. military intervention in other countries is justifiable and in what cases is it not. On March 20, 2003 America with the help of its allies attacked Iraq, accusing Iraq for the possession of illegal chemical, biological and nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, America explained to the world that the possession of such serious weapons may cause immense threat to the global peace. However, even after the execution of Saddam Hussein, American troops failed to seize any such weapons from Iraqi soil. Opponents of Iraq war argue that George Bush was taking revenge on Saddam for harassing his father Bush Sr. It is a fact that in an early encounter between America and Iraq, Bush Sr. faced humiliation from Saddam Hussein. Moreover many others are of the view that Bush attacked Iraq to exploit the immense oil resources and fresh water resources of Iraq. It is illegal to attack a country for exploiting its natural resources. Sovereignty of a country should be respected in order to keep global peace intact. It is fact that most of the Middle Eastern countries including Iraq were administered by some dictators. However, spreading of democracy through war cannot be justified under any circumstances. Bush Jr. spent billions of dollars just for saving the pride of his father. The current financial crisis is believed to be the by-product of Iraq war. In other words, Iraq war not only affected the Iraqi people, but it affected the Americans also. Many of the American soldiers sacrificed their lives in Iraq in their efforts to bring peace back in Iraq. The cost of Iraq war can be better analyzed with the help of following illustration. (Cost of Iraq War and Nation Building) “According to an article by Stephen Gowans, the US command knowingly violated Article 54 of the Geneva Convention which prohibits any country from undermining objects indispensable to the survival of (another country's) civilian population" (Abuelo). Iraq war resulted in large scale looting and criminal disorder, especially in Baghdad and Basra. Coalition forces were quite unable to maintain public order and the Iraqi police forces largely withdrew from the major centers of population (Rogers, p.13). In other words, the coalition forces failed to keep their word they given to the external world; a peaceful Iraq without Saddam. In short, Iraq war or America’s intervention in Iraq could not be justified under any circumstances. The reasons cited for the wars were illogical and Americans forced pay big prices for this war in the form of big expenditure and the sacrifice of the lives of many of its people. America’s war in Afghanistan is justifiable considering the brutalities of Taliban. It is almost certain that Bin Laden and Mulla Omar the axis of terrorists is hiding in the Pak-Afghan border. Even though Iraq was condemned by many other countries, America is facing less criticism from international community as far as Afghan war is concerned. This is because of the awareness of the other countries about the threats caused to civilized societies by the Muslim fundamentalists hiding in the Afghan soil. Islam plays a major role in Afghanistan. It is not a secular Islam. It is merely a feudal Islam like in Saudi Arabia or Yemen. Indeed, Islamism is prevalent and relies on the Sharia’a, which is the opposite of human rights, decency, and a civilized way of life. After 2001, with the change of regime, opium production increased and Afghanistan is producing today 90% of the world’s opium. Revenue from poppy cultivation is now larger than the international aid (War in Afghanistan: The Trap) Perhaps Afghanistan is the only country in the world in which the most uncivilized people like Taliban can be observed. The women in Afghanistan are facing immense brutalities form their husbands. The story of Bibi Ayesha, an Afghan woman who nose and ears were cut off by her Talban husband, has recently caught the news paper headlines, which reveals the extent of brutalities committed by Taliban in Afghanistan (Barbara). The opium export smuggling from Afghanistan to other countries is another major threat raised by the Taliban. In short, Afghanistan is the hiding place of terrorist and a group of uncivilized people. The attempt of America to destroy these fundamental groups should be welcomed considering the advantages it may bring to the global community and afghan people. To conclude, America’s war on terror in Afghanistan can be justified up to certain extent whereas the Iraq war cannot be justified under any circumstances. Afghan war has the support of the afghan people and the international community whereas the Iraq war was a naked intrusion into the sovereignty of another country by America. Works Cited 1. Abuelo, Matthew. 2006. “Iraq War in Focus”. Web. 15 March 2011. 2. Barbara. “Aisha:18-Year-Old Sentenced by a Taliban”. 2010. Web. 15 March 2011. 3. “Cost of Iraq War and Nation Building”. 2008. Web. 15 March 2011. 4. Rogers, Paul. 2006. “Iraq and the War on Terror: Twelve Months of Insurgency 2004/2005”. Publisher: I. B. Tauris (March 3, 2006) 5. “War in Afghanistan: The Trap”. 2005. Web. 15 March 2011. Read More