War in Iraq - Why Are Troops Need to Be Over There - Essay Example

The presence of the US Army in Iraq helps the global community to maintain peace and prevent the Iraqi government from developing nuclear weapons and further militarization. Iraq was one of the first countries which used chemical force during military operations. During the civil war in Egypt from 1967-1968, its military applied chemical weapons against the civil population. Today, political interests in the Middle East have nothing to gain from further substantiation of Iraq's perfectly legal chemical production and illegal nuclear weapons when Iraq already “stands convicted in international eyes of the illegal use of warfare chemicals” (Krasno and Sutterlin 2003, p. 45). The criminal trials of export control violators in Europe reveal only fragmentary information, although the legal cases would be stronger if the equipment sales could be tied to specific plants. The facts state that: “Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions, which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve gas" (Chemical Weapons Found in Iraq, 2006). These facts suggest that only a strong military presence in this region can prevent terrorist groups from further militarization and the development of weapons of mass destruction.

Despite great criticism, the US Army supports the liberal democratic government in this country and protects the human rights and freedoms of the population. Before the war, Iraq had been one of the countries that violated human rights and freedoms, including the right to vote and freedom of the press. In Iraq, Islam has, therefore, come to shape much of the political culture becoming an integral facet of people's perception of politics. Islam has a great impact on all aspects of culture determining the social and political traditions of the state. Democracy contradicts with norms and values of Islam forcing citizens to change their century-old traditions and rituals. In this case, “Republicans, warned that withdrawing U.S. troops before the Iraqi army is fully prepared to defend the country against an intractable insurgency would lead to more violence and possible civil war” (Tate, 2006). Still, the organization of authority based on democracy in Iraq is connected with difficulties: the necessity of the majority of citizens’ participation, the compulsion of decision-making, etc.

The withdrawal of the troops will hurt the USA because the presence of the US Army in this region minimizes terrorists’ activities and the proliferation of terrorist ideas in other countries. Terrorist raids usually appear to be very well organized, which may account for their relative infrequency. Also, it is commonly asserted that terrorist raiders are able to reduce their chances of being caught by not having individuals go on successive raids. “There is no question that Iraq is an important, if not the most important, theater in terms of the fight against Al Qaeda” (Johnson, 2006). In addition, the main advantage of current democratic processes is that they allow liberalization of trade and political participation, grant women the right to vote, and increase freedom of speech. The presence of the US Army in Iraq can be seen as a protective measure against further terror attacks and the development of weapons of mass destruction threatened the US population.

In sum, the war is over but there are a lot of problems that have not been solved yet. Iraq needs to look further than the cornerstone of its own tradition, but its government and military are weak enough to resist terrorist tension and protect native citizens from oppression. The presence of the US military in Iraq is crucial because it ensures global peace and stability in this region. Political changes support democratic changes through complicated international political affairs and the emergence of new ideological challenges, but the Iraqi government is unable to maintain strong political and economic control in the country, and resist terrorism without international support.