Intentions and Goals of the U.S. and Iraq War - Essay Example

RE-DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ 11/29/2007 Mr. John Edwards Valued RE: Redeployment in Iraq My Dear John Edwards, With reference to your directions for providing political background on important policy issues that are likely to come about the in the next two years, I have made extensive researches and explored the recent surveys and opinion polls with regard to the problem of re-deployment of U.S forces from Iraq. I would like to offer my findings and recommendations for solving the problem of redeployment of the U.S troops from Iraq as follows: Introduction: The recent surveys that I have come across show that there are serious rifts among Democrat leadership about the success of war in Iraq. A recent survey finds two in three Democrats believe the war is already lost and a serious criticism about the adventure of America's war against terrorism in Iraq is evident from the public side as well.1 President George W. Bush started the U.S.-Iraq War, led by the United States against the regime of Saddam Hussein, the authoritarian leader of Iraq in 2003. He explained that the goals of the war were to "disarm Iraq [and] to free its people." The initial reports of CIA and the Pentagon had demonstrated that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and these weapons were a serious threat to the world peace. But, after the Saddam regime has been overthrown and Saddam crucified, there is still no evidence of any such weapons of mass destruction and the public now doubts whether the goals stated by the Bush administration were really true or there were some other intentions that caused to start a war in the name of fight against terrorism and which has proved futile and fruitless. Over the years, more than 2,400 American military personnel have been killed and 18,000 wounded. The financial losses of this war are also dismal with more than $300 billion having been spent in this war and yet the war has not made the United States safer as promised to the American people. That is why; the people now are demanding immediate withdrawal of the American forces from Iraq. Among the advocates of withdrawal, there are the Democrats like John Deutch and Republicans like William Buckley.2 The Problem: From the above surveys, I can conclude that the majority of Americans does not believe in the success, intentions and goals of the U.S. - Iraq war. Besides the public opinion, there are some statistics that show the Bush Administration is not only suffering criticism on its policies, the Bush Administration's mistake in Iraq - invading for the wrong reasons and without enough troops to secure the country - have left the United States with no good options. The prolonged deployment of U.S ground forces in Iraq has resulted in increased suicide terrorism and the Iraq people now see the United States as an occupier rather than a savior. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has made terrorist threat worse than before. And coupled with Bush's disdain for managing shifting geopolitical balances to create a stable strategic environment in the Middle East, the Iraq War has weakened America's regional position in multiple ways.3 Thus, I would like to draw your attention about the actual problem that has caused a setback for the United States. From the facts mentioned above, it seems clear that the prolonged deployment of the American troops has negatively impacted the overall performance of the personnel at other fronts like Afghanistan and the probable action against Iran. Since the previous year, Al-Qaida has re-organized itself in Afghanistan and has gained control over many strategically important places. Similarly, there is instability in the bordering areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan where suicide attacks on the forces have become a common phenomenon and these attacks have negative psychological affects demoralizing the personnel deployed in the country. The war in Iraq has in fact caused the virtual isolation of the United States in the International community and the earlier supporters of the U.S are also criticizing the American policies and demanding immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Certainly you will agree with me that this problem has made the United States more insecure both inside and outside with increased threats from the extremist elements. It has also earned a bad fame as the champion of democracy by supporting undemocratic states like Pakistan and the gulf state just because the United States had to seek strategic logistic support from these countries ignoring political unrest in these countries. Further, due to increased violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US stance against Iranian nuclear program has faced a set back. Response Needed: I would like to stress that it is imperative in these conditions that the U.S government should consider the issue of redeployment in Iraq seriously and redeploy the U.S forces as soon as possible. Although, the Bush Administration has already made statements with regard to the redeployment from Iraq intending to complete the redeployment process by the year 2008, there is at present no significant progress so far. Hence, it is not clear whether the process of redeployment will be completed by the specified time. Context of the Problem: The reasons why this problem has erupted and set the U.S policy makers on back foot are numerous. Some of the main reasons are as under: i). The most important reason behind the U.S intervention to restore democracy in Iraq is the continuous and deliberate interference of the rogue neighboring counties like Iran, Syria and Turkey. The most formidable threat comes from Iran which has been supporting the Shia population in Iraq. The Shia population in Iraq shares the common religious beliefs with the Iranian people and many pilgrimages visit often some religious shrines in Iraq. The extremists have tried to exploit the religious sentiments of Shia population many a time by suicide attacks on these sacred places in order to create a situation of turmoil. However, above the sectarian issues, there is yet a strategic reason of Iranian involvement to destabilize the peace process in Iraq. As Iran fears it would be the next prey of U.S invasion, she wants to engage the U.S forces in Iraq through the frequent terrorist attacks resulting demoralizing the troops as well as exploiting the public opinion regarding the presence of the U.S troops in the region. ii). The other important interference has been reported from Syria which shares the same sentiments as that of Iran. George W. Bush has declared both these countries as rogue state and the axis of evil, however, the Bush administration has not taken any serious measures to stop intervention from these countries and if unchecked, these interventions would have very negative affects on the peace process the efforts to restore democracy in Iraq and rehabilitate the war torn country. iii). Turkey has just recently opted to take stern action against the Kurdish population residing inside Iraq near the bordering area of Turkey. The Kurdish problem has been a source of serious rifts between Iraq and Turkey since long time. Turkey alleges Iraqi government of having supported the Kurdish population to create instability in Turkey. The previous month, with the new government coming into power, the Turkish parliament passed a resolution to intervene in Iraq borders to curb the Kurdish rebels. Such actions of Turkish government undermine the American efforts to maintain peace in Iraq as Turkey is an important ally in the war against terrorism. Decisions to be taken: In this scenario, it is imperative that the United States should redeploy its troops from Iraq in order to restore the strength of U.S ground forces. At present there are about 100,000 ground troops in Iraq and keeping such a large contingent of troops will require the Pentagon to recruit and retain more soldiers which would be a difficult task. There is also a need to make a necessary strategic shift to enable the United States to defeat the global threats from Islamist extremists and the terrorist networks. Besides, redeployment is also necessary to prevent large number of U.S troops from being caught in the middle of a civil war in Iraq. Redeployment is also necessary to prevent mass sectarian and ethnic cleansing in Iraq in the present situation. I hope if the United States redeploy its troops from Iraq, it would provide the political space for Iraq's elected leaders to strike a power-sharing agreement for effectively running the government affairs and it will also empower Iraqi security force to take control over Iraq to curb the terrorist attacks. Redeployment not only weaken the insurgency but also motivate other global and regional powers and the United Nations to get more involved in the peace process in Iraq. Besides all these advantages of redeployment, the most significant impact for the U.S would be to in a better position to combat the emerging threat from Iran and also prevent an outbreak of isolationism in the United States.4 You will be aware that there are some steps taken already for the redeployment from Iraq. In this direction the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act (H.R. 2956) was passed on July 10, 2007 requiring the United States begin redeploying troops from Iraq within 120 days of the bill's passage. The bill would require that the U.S have a "limited presence" in Iraq by April 1, 2008 and the President Bush would be required to submit a report to Congress outlining the specific goals of the remaining troops in Iraq, along with timetable for their completion.5 Public Opinion about the Problem: As it is clear from the progress in Iraq so far, the goals set by George W. Bush to restore democracy and help the Iraqi people choose their own leadership could not be realized so far. Hence, the doubts in the minds of general public are now finding expression through the recent surveys on the U.S-Iraq war. The latest UPI/Zogby poll shows Americans are divided on the success of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq. According to the survey, 49% American people believe the policy of Bush administration is not working, while 45% said the surge has been effective. Similarly, the vast majority of Democrats (86%) don't believe the surge is working, compared to just 11% of Republicans.6 In response to the survey for defining a U.S. victory in Iraq, 37% of American adults overall said it would be achieved when Iraq gains control over its own internal security (a view with which 58% of Republicans, but just 17% of Democrats, agree). However, equal number of Americans (34%) said they don't believe a U.S. victory in Iraq is possible - 60% of Democrats agree there cannot be victory in Iraq, compared to just 7% of Republicans. The overall results show 13% people believed a U.S. victory will be achieved when a secure Iraq forms a democratic government, and 11% opine that the U.S. has already achieved victory in Iraq. Conclusion: I would like to recommend from the problem stated above that there is an immediate need to redeploy the U.S troops from Iraq. It will help the United States to hand over the control of Iraqi political system to the elected representatives and it would bring the United States in a better position to check the formidable designs of Iran to develop nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Also, it will send a message to the world community that the United States is committed for restoring democracy and fighting against terrorism. I hope you will agree with my recommendations which have gleaned through profound consultations from the recent surveys on the issue. References Both Sides Reject Compromise in Iraq Funding Fight Campaign '08: Analysis of Key Voter Groups. Available online from http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3ReportID=323 last accessed on 29/11/2007 H.R.2956 - Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act: available online from http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h2956/show last accessed on 29/11/2007 The Candidates on the Iraq War: available online from: http://pewforum.org/religion08/compare.phpIssue=Iraq_War last accessed on 29/11/2007 Leverett, Flynt. "To the Incoming President: On Iraq It's January, 2009. A Democrat Has Just Become President and Confronts One Mean Conundrum What's the Best Way to Leave Iraq." The American Prospect June 2007: 16+. Questia. 29 Nov. 2007 . Survey finds two in three Democrats believe the war is already lost: UPI/Zogby Poll: Most Americans Say Iraq War Not Lost: available online from http://www.zogby.com/search/ReadNews.dbmID=1352 last accessed on 29/11/2007 Strategic Redeployment 2.0: A Progressive Strategy for Iraq: available online from www.americanprogress.org/kf/strategic_redeployment_2.0.pdf last accessed on 29/11/2007 Read More