Invasion of Iraq - Assignment Example

2003 Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq, also known as the Iraq War, was initiated on March 19 which was the beginning of a never ending conflict not just in the state but also in the entire region. The operation, also dubbed as the Operation Iraaqi Freedom by the US may also be taken as one of the carry-over conflicts from Afghanistan. The operation was consequent of a combined effort of troops coming from the USA, Australia, Poland and also the UK, which was aiming at overthrowing the Baathist government being run by Saddam Hussein. The invasion phase of the war ended with the US forces having taken over the capital city of Baghdad. There is a huge controversy surrounding in the literature over the Iraq War, whereby it if often concluded that the Iran War was a mere display of power and the issue could have been resolved by diplomacy. A few even question the causes behind the war and the costs incurred. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was launched in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks over the alleged claim that Iraq possesses weapons of Mass Destruction; whereby not only Iraq but also US paid a hefty price, the long term consequences of which include ramifications of Arab Spring and rise of varied militant factions all around the globe. Thus, the paper will aim at analyzing not just the causes behind the invasion, but will also tend to explore the long term and the short term consequences reaped by the war. The issue can never be understood with utmost accuracy without going into the background of the conflict. The first ever Gulf War was concluded in February 1991 only after a ceasefire coalition between UN and Iraq. However, the US along with its allies was on a mission ever since to keep tabs on Saddam Hussein via military action including the Southern Watch Operation, with the sole mandate to monitor and control the airspace. In the struggle, it was often hinted that there is a presence of the biological weapons in Iraq in violation of the convention of Biological Weapons 19721. Thus, in an effort to rid Iraq of these deadly weapons, various investigations were held, for instance the United Nations Special Commission investigation. Though the investigation revealed no substantial evidence indicating presence of such weapons, the US pledged to follow the policy aiming at containment toward Iraq. The containment initiatives involved economic sanctions, determining no fly zones and various inspections via UN to ensure that there is no imminent threat. However, with US President George W Bush taking over office in 2000, the US turned towards a more aggressive strategy against Iraq, since the entire election campaign of Bush rested on the removing Saddam Hussein. Yet, prior to 9/11, the chances of USA directly intervening militarily in Iraq seemed bleak. However, following the September 11 attacks, Bush decided that the administration must show no restraint and intervene in Iraq, though the decision is often questioned since there is no tangible evidence suggesting a direct link between the Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein2. Therefore, soon after the 9/11 attacks, while Bush help the Joint Session of the Congress where he announced the ‘war on terror’, a pre-emptive military striking option was also announced which is often referred to as the ‘Bush Doctrine’3. The pre-emptive military action was announced only after the officials from Bush Administration asserted over the premise that there is a covert relationship between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, and that an immediate action aimed at invasion of Iraq must follow. While US had pledged to invade Iraq by all means, states like France and Germany were actively advocating the use of non-violent means to resolve conflict. As a result, the UNSC adopted the resolution 1441 which implied that Iraq must comply by the standards and that it must authorize investigations over their facilities to ensure that weapons of mass destruction are not being created. This resolution offered a final opportunity to Iraq to comply by the disarmament standards and also to ensure inspections via the UN commission for inspection and the IAEA4. Saddam Hussein complied by the conditions allowed inspections, though there wasn’t any evidence found to confirm presence of nuclear weapons. There were however traces of substances which ‘could be’ utilized to produce weapons of mass destruction. However, without considering any recommendations from the UN, US passed the ‘Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq’ in the Congress which clearly authorized the US President to use any required means to combat terrorism against Iraq. However, another controversy generated over the fact that the US public also polled in favor of diplomacy rather than invasion, yet their plea was ignored conveniently. The Bush administration started countering the narrative via PR campaign to convince Americans in favor of war to justify their moves. Thus, US continued its operation for around 21 days whereby the complexities were revealed only in the post war period. Since US wasn’t envisioning the war as a combat amongst equals, the then Secretary of Defense i.e. Donald Rumsfeld showed concern over authorizing large troops from the US. Also, the Iraqi army proved to be inept and inefficient, also incapable to countering the US invasion or even to mobilize their air force to develop a strong defense5. The US troops conveniently destroyed the tank of Iraqi army along with other artillery, and thus made rapid advances in Iraq via operation. Thus, for the most part, Iraqi army was ill-equipped due to which it took only 21 days for the US troops to take over Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. However, the seemingly simple was turnout out to be costly in terms of economy, number of casualties and even in context to soft power. The cost incurred as a result of the war can be counted, for the most part, in terms of casualties. The estimates revealing civilian death are quite varied, yet there is consensus on the view that around 7500 civilians lost their lives as a result of the war. Furthermore, the Republic Guard of Iraq is reported to evidently execute its soldiers if they had shown any signs of surrender to the US troops, while their families were also threatened in an effort to keep the Iraqi soldiers engaged in Iraq6. Furthermore, a few of fighters were also reported to be using innocent people as human shields where even ambulances were being used to military purposes. Furthermore, many of the US soldiers also lost their lives on the field, many of who has taken gunshots right in the head. Sergeant Walters is one of the military figures from US who lost their lives. Furthermore, a few US soldiers were taken as prisoners of war by the Iraqi army which created chaos back at home. A few other unfortunate incidences also occurred at the field, for instance, Jessica Lynch is now suffering from Amnesia due to the ill treatment she had faced where she was raped and beaten. Also, it wasn’t just the US troop which suffered and few of the allied troops also had to pay the price. One of the British Army units mistakenly entered the Az Zubayr town which was held via Iraqis. The entire unit was ambushed and thus, the Sapper Allsopp and Sergeant Cullinworth were captured and later executed brutally. The video was discovered later in 2006, which was a source of both embarrassment and agony for the allies. In addition, there was a lot of collateral damage resulting from open firing at various instances. A few soldiers from both sides were reported to be missing. The costs of war didn’t just include the loss of lives, in addition, there was a loss in context to looting and destruction of historically significant buildings and monuments. For instance, the National Museum of Iraq was amongst one of the looted places, where there was a reported inventory loss at a massive scale and around 501,000 pieces had gone missing7. Furthermore, the ministry of the oil was also bombed and at the same time weaponry and explosives were also looted. Another, more impactful form of loss occurred at the part of the US in term of the deterioration of their image in the global arena. Though the capturing of Baghdad did seem like a sign of victory in the beginning, yet the post-war scenario clearly indicates how US had made a strategic error by directly involving themselves in the region. There were apprehensions not only about the irrelevance of the war, but also a question-mark on why US went ahead without the consent of UNSC. Furthermore, the body bags and immense damage to US personnel displayed on the media also triggered controversy over losses at home due to the war. In addition, debate stirred on the view that the war in Iraq took the focus away from the issue of terrorism and the mandate to fight Al-Qaeda, where the faction came out stronger than before and acquired a higher level of legitimacy amongst their circle of influence owing to the disappointment of the right wing extremists over the brutality inflicted in Iraq. The long term costs of destabilizing the region are unaccounted for, which range from the expansion of militant factions to present day versions like the ISIS and the Al-Ahrar faction, Boko Haram and even the Islamic brotherhood, all of who were encouraged to carry out their activities after the instilment of anti-Western poison in the region following the brutal war on terrorism8. The drug cartels functioning primarily in Afghanistan were also coordinating with the Al-Qaeda factions, along with other extremist elements in Saudi and other states which created an affective channel of funneling money and also personnel for these terrorist factions. As a result, movements like the Arab Spring and the instilment of Muslim Brotherhood were inevitable, a fact then overlooked by the US government due to their short-sightedness. Commenting on the relationship between the Arab Spring and the 2003 invasion in Iraq, the roots of the movement definitely can be traced back to the war. The undue intervention of the US into the region did stir massive anger amongst the people of the region, and eventually as the consequences became clearer, the masses along with extremist groups and lobbyists in the region became intolerant of the brutality by the west. This created the consequence of these masses being sympathetic to the terrorist factions rather than being alienated by them. Thus, eventually people started being mobilized and sensitized to the conditions they were in, and their anger was vented in the form of Arab Spring movements ranging from Tunisia to Egypt to even Iraq. Thus, the responsibility of destabilizing the region can safely be attributed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Thus, conclusively, the 2003 invasion of Iraq was launched in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks over the alleged claim that Iraq possesses weapons of Mass Destruction; whereby not only Iraq but also US paid a hefty price, the long term consequences of which include ramifications of Arab Spring and rise of varied militant factions all around the globe. For the most part, Iraqi army was ill-equipped due to which it took only 21 days for the US troops to take over Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. However, the seemingly simple war turned out to be costly in terms of economy, number of casualties and even in context to soft power. The undue intervention of the US into the Middle Eastern region did stir massive anger amongst the people of the region, and thus, the masses along with extremist groups in the region became intolerant of the brutality by the west. This created the consequence of these masses being sympathetic to the terrorist factions rather than being alienated by them, which resulted in the form of Arab Spring movements ranging from Tunisia to Egypt to even Iraq. Bibliography: Coates, Ulrichsen K. Basra, Southern Iraq and the Gulf: Challenges and Connections. The London School of Economics and Political Science, 2012. Internet resource. DeFronzo, James. The Iraq War: Origins and Consequences. Bolder, CO: Westview Press, 2010. Print. Hashim, Ahmed. Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2006. Print. Ohaegbulam, Festus U. A Culture of Deference: Congress, the President, and the Course of the U.s.-Led Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Print. Weller, M. Iraq and the Use of Force in International Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Read More