Iraq Then and Now by John King - Research Paper Example

 Book report: Iraq then and now This book seems to be written for a young audience, and includes some references and sources that are very sensitive to consequence and to causality. Although the root causes of terrorism may not always be easy to pinpoint, perceived humiliation and a lack of economic or political opportunities can drive people, especially young people to extremism. This can evolve easily into violence (Harvard University Terrorism Expert Jessica Stern). Civilian deaths have always been a tragic reality of modern war. The author observes that “the Kurds are still culturally separate today, and many would like independence, and their own country.” (King, 2006). These kinds of development in the country tend to instill fragmentation, in contrast to a shared sense of ownership for the Iraq people to reconstruct their nation. One immediate challenge that faces US forces following the Iraq invasion is the establishment of legitimate order in the country. Although King has undoubtedly drawn from previous nation-building operations undertaken in the course of history, it may be that America also recognizes that the situation in Iraq is a unique case in which new tactics must be employed. According to the John King, religious extremism may be the least suitable subject that can be treated to minimal textual analysis and support. It might also be the case that the contents are a form of mosaic fear and misinformation. Loosely constructed chapters are made up from images, unforced statements, partial extracts from TV shows and highly controversial texts. In the book, john king discusses former Iraqi monarchy and military regimes. “King Fasai was first little known in Iraq. The British appointed Arab officials to run the country. Some were former Ottoman officials while others were Arab nationalists. Most were Sunni Muslims, despite the fact that most Iraqis were Shiites. Great Britain also chose an assembly to draft a constitution for the country, in which British advisers played a very important role.” (King, 2006 p.14). The author also talks about the Ba’ath in power and Saddam Hussein’s ascension into power as president of Iraq. Other issues discussed in the book include the war wages against Iran, the invasion of Kuwait, sanctions placed on Iraq, the driving out of Iraq forces from Kuwait, and the invasion of Iraq by the United States. . The challenges presented by the issues discussed in this book partly fall outside traditional subjects about war. Teachers engage with the international on an everyday basis but the formalized disciplines of International Relations or war studies are rarely taught until university level. Author Hafsteinn Hafsteinnsson noted that “the term ‘combatant’ has recently been replaced with ‘war fighter’ in countries like the United States, a move that further deflects attention from the agency that was, or is ‘soldier’ on ‘soldier’. War is presumed, and the war fighter is needed, recognized and valued because there is war.” (Hafsteinn Hafsteinnsson) Illustrated books about war transformation and weapons tend to focus on the utilization of projectiles (which was the norm in the Stone Age) to ballistic missiles which are currently deployed in war zones. In this high-tech age warfare seems to be depicted as an attractive problem-solving technical exercise. The impact and conduct of the characters of war, as depicted in the book seem to be different from the way they are depicted in other books about the war in Iraq. “The ottoman Turks captured Baghdad in 1534. For the next three hundred years, local leaders opposed Turkish rule. But by 1834, the ottoman Turks had gained control of the religion that became the 3 provinces of Baghdad, Mosul and Basra on the fringe of the Ottoman Empire.” (King, 2006). An attempt is also made to represent the ‘cost’ of war from a financial aspect in this book, and the language used in describing the weapons is somewhat clinical. In her book rebuilding Iraq, Debra Miller defines what is conceived as terrorism, and identifies the current threats inherent in terrorism. The book also discusses the motivations behind terrorists, and explains the cost of terrorism. With color photographs, survey facts, an index list she examines primary, as well as secondary source documents, and is an excellent source of information for research projects concerned with investigating how globalization affects terrorism, and the military actions that have been taken about the war on terrorism. Debra Miller focuses on the rebuilding of Iraq after the ousting of Saddam Hussein and examines the level of commitment on the part of the United States in the attempt to secure a smooth democratic transition in Iraq, and how democracy can be consolidated in Iraq. In order to fill the void that came about as a result of the expulsion of Saddam Hussein, the United States established a Coalition Provisional Authority in an attempt to stabilize the country, for democracy to be established. The transfer of power is essential to the survival of democracy in Iraq, as well as the recognition of sovereignty among various social groups in Iraq. The process of State-building involves more than only creating new institutions of government. Iraq’s progress in post-war reconstruction can be determined by how well the country can preserve its democracy, as well as the immediate democratization process. Another source of worry in Iraq is whether the country’s political leadership will remain inept and stay on point. There is widespread corruption to be battled with, and families of people who lost their lives during sectarian violence inside and around Baghdad have had to bribe the morgue officials in order for the corpses of their relatives to be released. Thus, we have a situation in which the Iraqi people do not even really trust or like their government. There is less supply of social amenities that there used to be, and those who can afford it use private fuel-powered generators, but the price of the fuel for these generators has increased very much. There is also the matter of inflation. Prices of goods and commodities have risen by about 70 percent, and aside from the issue of sectarian violence, there has been a steady increase in the crime rate in the county. It can be said that continuous democratic freedom is dependent on the maintenance of public electoral participation, the formation of a new police force in Iraqi, and the emergence of a civil society in the country. “Whether the 2003 invasion of Iraq was principally strategic or humanitarian, the United States’ involvement in Iraq has become a complex state-building mission. While there is agreement within the international community on the importance of rebuilding a democratic Iraq, there are many conflicting viewpoints on how this operation should proceed.” (Hafsteinn Hafsteinnsson) War and Security issues have been central to international relations studies in recent times, and these have enabled the definition of limitations and boundaries. According to Gray (2003) “The conceptualization and language of conflict remains an important platform for debate in this discipline. Critical literature remains divided for example over whether war as a tool is becoming more clinical or more visceral.” (Gray, C. 2003). It is clear that the Iraqi people still live in fear. The capital city of Baghdad has been wracked by violence since 2003 and tens of thousands of people have been injured or killed, and this has made the expectation of a random and unpredictable death a fact that Iraqi’s now have to live with. Iraqis have to bear the pressure of having their schools and school-buses bombed on a regular basis. The democracy in Iraq may also have brought about a situation where sectarian partisans and kleptocrats, are being found in leadership positions. More than two million Iraqis have left Iraq, and in some material ways, the situation is much worse than what it used to be. A lot of people in Iraq are also complaining that nowadays, they receive less state-supplied water and less electricity than they used to get before the war in Iraq. The major question now is whether things will get better any time soon. The Iraqi people believe that America will eventually withdraw its soldiers, and they are worried that the terrorists and militant groups are just hiding and waiting for this to happen while they re-group and re-arm themselves. Works cited King, John (2006) Iraq Then and Now. Raintree Miller, Debra A. Terrorism. Rebuilding Iraq American War Library Hafsteinn Hafsteinnsson. State-Building in Iraq. HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMAN WELFARE. (Retrieved from http://www.du.edu/korbel/hrhw/researchdigest/reconstruction/iraqstate.pdf) Gray, C., (2003) Posthuman soldiers in Postmodern war, Body and Society, Vol, 9, no. 4.,215-216. Read More