Role of the Iraq War in World Politics - Essay Example

In the months leading up to United s entrance in Iraq, an up and coming senator gave a convicted and passionate speech that described the move to enter Iraq as “rash and dumb”1. Twelve years later the state senator climbed through the echelons of state to undoubtedly the most powerful office in the world. Given the change in power, the United States was still in immense pressure to exit Iraq as had been promised. More than a decade into the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the United States, positive results are yet to be seen. The war has and still results in grievous consequences for both nations as well as neighboring countries among other third parties. The human death toll and economic dilapidation observed in Iraq is a testament as to the effects of war on nations. Many conspiracy theories have arisen as to the real reason for the entrance of the United States into Iraq. The divide across the global population remains wide regarding the question of whether the United States ought to have entered the war or not. Both sides cite their share of reasons for the former or the latter. Below is a critical examination of the causes and effects of the entrance of the U.S into Iraq as we seek to establish whether the war in Iraq was worth it. What are the impacts of war on Iraq itself? How did it impact the population in terms of their economic, social, political or psychological wellbeing? At the onset, the move by the U.S. Army was heralded as a positive move to free the people of Iraq from the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein. The U.S. Army managed to oust the oppressive Saddam Hussein regime enabling a trial for one of the country’s most oppressive leader in Saddam. Another problem that played a significant role in the destabilization of Iraq was the conflict between Sunni and Shiite Arabs. Shiite Arabs had long been ruled by members of the Sunni Arab faction that led to dissatisfaction and detest at the latter. British colonialists had installed Sunni Arabs to the Iraq corridors of power, which they continued to hold on to after Iraq gained independence from the British. The Shiite Arab community gradually increased in population but were crushed whenever they tried to rise into power by Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein. He was said to reserve some of the most brutal punishments for Shiite and Kurd Arabs, two groups who faced a constant struggle in their attempts to get a fair share of power in the country. In 2002 and early 2003, the then U.S. President George W. Bush, cited the possibility of Saddam Hussein acquiring biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and thus posed a direct threat to the United States2. He thus used this as the main reason for the preemptive attack on Iraq soil. The following were and still remain some of the factors that continue to plague Iraq. After the entrance of the U.S. into Iraq, settling of the Shiite and Sunni ethnic and religious differences was one of the agenda items of the American government. However, in 2005, two years after entrance of American forces in the country, a series of elections were held which were aimed at putting the majority Shiites into power. Voting was mainly conducted along ethnic and religious lines that further reinforced the rifts that were already existent in the Iraqi society. The American plan backfired as a coalition put together by an extremist Muslim cleric known as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani rose to power winning the most votes in the parliamentary elections. The former ruling regime that consisted of Sunni Arabs, was inflamed by this causing them to start an insurgency aimed at retaking control of the county. It also brought fresh worries to the American government3. The war also resulted in the formation of Sunni and Shiite militia groups which were radical in their belief of their right to the country’s power. This was evident in the sectarian cleansing witnessed on Iraqi streets as the militia groups started taking over neighborhoods and driving out residents of the opposite sect. Shootings, bombings and other Puritan killings as the civilian and militia death toll reached new levels with each passingday. Most families that were evicted from their homes became squatters in their country with some of them fleeing as refugees to neighboring countries such as Jordan and Iran. The death toll is estimated to be at more than half a million with a significant number of that portion civilian bystanders. While U.S.s agenda to put the majority Shiites into power came to fruition, the manner in which it happened gave rise to more problems than it solved. It led to volatilization of the Iraqi society which made in fighting among the major Arab groups in the region worse than initially was. In the case of Iraq, the United States initial plan was to avoid leaving a power vacuum during exit of American forces that neighbouring countries and terrorists could take advantage of and maintain influence in Iraq. However, the rise to power of the majority Shiite Arabs resonated well with the leading cream of Shiite Arabs in Iran, which was not necessarily the favoured result of the American government. This was due to close ties that Shiite leaders in Iraq already held with Shiite leaders of Iran. It made foreign relations between Iraq and Iran improve drastically, which was not favoured by the United States. This was because foreign relations between Iran and the United States were on the decline due to many reasons ranging from their nuclear agenda among many others4. The war also had a profound effect on health in Iraq. Deteriorating levels of health facilities and the collapsing economy ensured that hospitals could not be restocked. This led to loss of lives to simple treatable conditions. Rising levels of child mortality were also a cruel reality as child health-care services proved difficult to access. Birth defects also became common as well as cases of cancer due to denial of health access by sect militants. Uranium that is a war remnant was also shown to have adverse effects due to its carcinogenic qualities. Vaccinations were not readily available at times leaving the population to rely solely on aid efforts from non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross. Psychological conditions were also on the rise due to the amount of loss and trauma that was experienced during the war. Inability to treat such conditions in time meant that a significant portion of the population lived with mental conditions that ultimately led to depression due to lack of professional medical care5. The harsh reality hit hard in terms of effects of the war during the civil war that broke out between 2006 and 2007. The situation in Iraq quickly escalated to civil war when the Sunni faction that had been ousted from power, bombed one of the holiest sites of Shiite Islam. It was until 2008 that attacks declined drastically having spent the most parts of the previous year launching attacks and counter-attacks on each other. After the civil war, the number of Iraqi refugees was brought to a staggering 1.6 million. In 2008 the total number of people who had been displaced equaled 16 percent of the whole country’s population. This is still widely believed to be the reason for accelerated efforts by the U.S. government to effect their exit strategy which took place beginning 2011 up to 20136. A conclusion can, therefore, be made all facts considered that the war did Iraq more bad than good. The effects ranging from civilian deaths, increasing number or refugees to neighboring countries, a collapsed economy, political unrest, millions of people living with disabilities and psychological conditions as a result of the war contribute to this conclusion. It is a damning indication that war is seldom the best option when it comes to settling international disputes. Peaceful political dialog and mediation would have been a viable path sought by the governments in play to minimize the human casualty that was experienced during the decade-long war in Iraq. The United States invaded Iraq with noble intentions that soon became corrupted. The invasion agenda transformed which resulted in an American military presence for more than a decade and alarming rates of military and civilian casualty. There are five major fronts on which the U.S. lost out on in a bid to return Iraq to a democratic and civil state7. The United States is still presently paying a steep price for its entry into Iraq. The five major fronts are; debt, physical and psychological health effects on troops, losing focus in Afghanistan, strengthening of United States foes8. There were also gains to the United States invasion namely, the strategic positioning in the black gold laden country. Observers argue to date that this was the main reason for American entry into Iraq. This, however, is a gross oversimplification as we shall learn below. What were the negative effects of the war on the United States? At the start of the war, it was predicted that the war would cost an average of 50 to 60 billion dollars in total. This was, however, widely off the mark as they failed to put into account the time they would spend in Iraq. This sent the country’s debt soaring a condition that has hardly been rectified today. According to a recent study, the war is estimated to have cost the U.S. roughly 2.2 trillion dollars though putting interest rates into account would drive the value to around 4.4 trillion dollars. Further research shows that an additional 10 billion dollars was spent on rebuilding efforts that did not see fruition. This is an effect that will haunt the United States’ future administration as they attempt to rectify mistakes made by past administrations. The third casualty of the war that is probably one which most people identify with is the physical and psychological trauma that was experienced by military personnel during the war and post-Iraq. The soldiers who were tasked with “fighting for their country”, were stretched to their limits both physically and psychologically as they were put into service through multiple tours. With each tour also came the ever shrinking downtime in between the tours. Statistics estimate that about 4000 troops died in active duty while around 31000 others faced injuries during their times on tour. The cost of providing medical care to the retired soldiers has been shown to have doubled since Afghanistan compounding to the difficulties faced by those who served. An alarming estimation by a 2009 study shows that an estimated 35 percent of war veterans will suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after war (PTSD). The study also showed that the suicide rates among veterans had skied to 22 per day9. This are irreversible damages to people’s lives which war brings. The fourth negative effect of the Iraq war was negligence of the Afghanistan war in order to push through the Iraq agenda. This allowed the reclaiming efforts which had been partially successful to stall which prompted a Taliban resurgence to take back the country. Taliban forces replicated tactics seen in Iraq in turn keeping the Afghanistan government weak and U.S. forces clueless. This is the reason for American presence in Afghanistan to date. It allowed the Taliban to regroup and mount stronger insurgence against American troops. Another negative effect of American entrance into Iraq was the proliferation of Iraqi culture which took place. The United States and its allies in Iraq disregarded all the warnings and cautions which they were given regarding protection of Iraq culture. Cultural symbols in iraq include museums, archaeological sites, libraries among other precious repositories. Arsonists, during the war, badly burnt the national library and looters took away from the national museum. This caused the lost of many artifacts many of which have not been recovered to date. Looters also damaged, looted and pillaged many other historic landmarks within the country. Also, the United States military base was constructed on the site of ancient Babylon which further contributed to the proliferation of Iraq culture. Coalition forces are also charged with the destruction of many historic buildings and landmarks10. The cultural proliferation observed in Iraq can only be summed up as a cultural cleansing because of some of the acts which took place during the Iraq war period. For example, Hatra, a 2000 year old fortified city was destroyed due to the war. The Islamic state was said to have bulldozed the site, looting the sites contents in the process; which included items of silver and gold. The humanitarian crisis that the war caused was staggering. Humanitarian agencies had to deal with numerous cases ranging from refugee crisis to states of extreme poverty among those that the war had hit hardest. Displacement of people was one of the largest causes of the humanitarian crisis. It affected hundreds of thousands of people making any effort made towards aid dire. Unemployment also rose sharply hitting an all time high. According to the United Nations, one third of the population lives in poverty as a result of the war. Education also broke down as well as basic needs such as food, water and clothing, a situation which is still evident in the country today11. The internal relief system was hardly able to contain the situation which caused it to plummet from bad to worse. American entry into Iraq was not an immediate cause of the high number of internally displaced people and refugee. Counter-insurgency operations by local militia groups are what triggered the situation. The fifth negative effect was the strengthening of Iran a known U.S. foe and regrouping of Al Qaeda in Iraq. The fall of Saddam proved a mouthwatering opportunity for U.S. adversaries to fill the void. Contrary to popular belief, Al Qaeda had no presence in Iraq prior to 2003 largely due to the presence of Saddam. It was only in the post Saddam climate that the group gained a foothold in Iraq. To this day, Al Qaeda persists in carrying out attacks on Iraq residents. In effect, we learn that the United states did not gain much as compared to the Shiite led republic of Iran. By removal of the predominant Sunni Arab regime by the United States, doors were opened to Shiite Arabs to stamp their power and gain greater influence in the area. This would prove to be an immense loss for the American government12. This factor has caused a lot of blood shed among the countrys locals while maintaining the organizations control of terror in the region. The entry of Al Qaeda also, further complicated American forces, duties in the region since the jihad group had great resources aimed at undermining the United States control over the region. The removal of the oppressive leader in Saddam Hussein was part of a considerable good achieved in Iraq. A democratic Iraq with guidance from a democracy powerhouse such as the United States could bear considerable returns in future. However, facts considered, we are obliged to conclude that the war did the U.S. more bad than good. If Oil was the main factor in sentencing Iraq to more than a decade of war, then it stands to reason that the United States would have gotten a substantial amount of it during the crisis. We, however, learn that this was not the case. Statistics show that 34.7 percent of oil imported into the United States came from Canada and Latin America. Africa, meanwhile provides the U.S. with 10.3 percent of its oil while the entire Persian Gulf provides the U.S. with 12.9 percent of their imported oil. Statistics also show that in 2012, oil imported from Iraq consisted of 14.3 million barrels out of a total of 298 million barrels imported. This amounts to about 4.8 percent of the whole volume of the imported oil. Statistics further indicate that the United States imported significantly more oil from Iraq in Saddam Hussein’s tenure as prime minister than they did post war. It also stands to reason that if the United States entered Iraq solely for oil, they would maintain a strangle hold over its supply and production in the foreign territory13. It is also worth noting that some of the major beneficiaries of war in Iraq were China and Iran14. The United State suffered immense loss especially on the financial front. The war threw the U.S. into financial distress due to the huge amount of debt resulting from borrowing to sustain the war. The United States image was also ruined in the Middle East as a result of the war. This resulted in more countries less willing to adopt American policies and less countries willing to do business with them. The war was a major win for China whose philosophy was and still is one of non-interference in internal political matters of other countries. The war, therefore, offered China strategic benefits at the expense of the United States’ global criticism. China offered thenew Iraq regime an attractive alternative in economic engagement and non-involvement in their internal politics. This was contrary to the U.S. policy of occupation and involvement in political affairs. China, therefore, established strong ties with the new regime and was able to expand on its economic power. The United States withdrawal from Iraq provided the Chinese with immense opportunities in terms of investment. Even today, Chinese firms are heavily invested in services such as construction, tourism and even government services. In February 2010, the Chinese government cancelled 80 percent of Iraq’s 8.5 billion dollar debt, which was aimed at furthering Chinese interests in Iraq. During this period, the trade volume between China and Iraq was estimated to have increased 34 fold to 17.5 billion dollars. China has also proved to be a major beneficiary of energy in Iraq. Amidst wavering interest from western superpowers, China has flourished in acquiring energy deals that could in future prove to be detrimental in the unseating of United States at the helm as theglobal economic giant. This highlights the level of foresight on China’s part. Iraq has the second largest proven oil and gas reserves, which are estimated at about 112.5 billion barrels. This is estimated as roughly 11percent of the world’s total, which is by no means, a trivial figure. According to the International Energy Agency, China is set to become the main importer of Iraqi oil by 2030. This will go a long way in the fortification of Chinese energy security15. The Iraq war also posed challenges and complications for China. This was mainly because, strategically, the occupation of Iraq presented an opportunity for the Chinese to avoid open confrontation with the United States. Amid Chinese strengthening of relations with Iraq, the United States counterbalanced this with establishment of close allies among Chinese neighbors such as South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Australia. In effect, this led to isolation between China and its neighbors making them increasingly vulnerable. They had substituted Middle East influence for decreasing ties with their neighbors16. Overall, the significance of the Iraq war in world politics cannot be understated. It provided major changes as to the balance of power in the Middle East such as the weakening of the United States influence and the embracing of the Chinese doctrine of none interference in political matters. The study above shows that it is important to separate myth from reality and take a keen look at the adverse effects of the Iraq war. China looks like the clear winner of the Iraq war with major economic benefits and achievements under its belt. The United States seems like the ultimate loser due to high financial losses incurred in the process. Analyzing both sides in retrospect, the answer is open to interpretation, looking at the short term may depict the U.S. as the obvious loser in the process establishing China as the winner. One thing, however remains clear, the story has yet to be completed with the long term effects yet to be seen. Bibliography "The Price of Iraq." Latin America Monitor: Mexico Monitor 20, no. 4 (April 2003): 2. Ahlert, Arnold. The war for oil myth. Front Page Magazine. (March 22, 2013). http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/arnold-ahlert/the-war-for-oil-myth/ Chaziza, Mordechai. Ten years later: who won the Iraq war, the US or China. Global Research in International Affairs. (September 28, 2014). http://www.gloriacenter.org/2014/09/ten-years-later-who-won-the-iraq-war-the-us-or-china/ Claesgens, Ed. Bush’s bloody fiasco in Iraq spawned by greed. New York: Edward Claesgens, 2006. 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