No End in Sight - Essay Example

Some of the interviewed people in the film include General Jay Garner, Ambassador Barbara Bodine, and Richard Armitage. Garner was the Director of the Reconstruction in Iraq. He believed that in order for such an endeavor to prosper, Americans needed to send more troops into Iraq because of the situation there (Shaikh 1).  What fascinates me about Garner is that he endeavored to set up a government and plan for election in only 90 days. He also wanted to return troops to the desert base, but he was cut short by his retirement.

Ambassador Barbara Bodine, on the other hand, was in charge of the Baghdad embassy. Bodine’s view of the reconstruction was to reach out to the Iraqis and identify government technocrats, as well as civil leaders who can effectively run the state (Shaikh 1). For a short period of time, she achieved a lot.  What fascinated me about her was that, in such a demanding atmosphere, she managed to identify the best steps to be taken and how they would go about evaluating the steps.

Richard Lee Armitage was an ex-deputy secretary of the State Department. According to Armitage, the Iraq reconstruction was all about promoting world peace. He considered Iraq to be a threat to world peace (Shaikh 1). Armitage was also quite congenial during the interview, and that is what fascinated me about him.

The film covered the Iraq occupation mainly through interviews. The interviewees were mainly significant figures who were charged with managing the restriction. It dwelled on the mistakes that the Bush Administration during its occupation of Iraq (Shaikh 1). What shocked me was that the lack of security, rise of insurgency, lack of basic services, and also, in one instance, the risk of a civil war, was caused by the mistakes made by Americans.

If an outside power occupied my country and allowed widespread looting to take place and did not protect my country’s historical monuments, then I would consider them as taking us for granted. I would also think that their purpose for occupying our nation was for their own benefit.  This will make me think of ways to remove them from my country. It will also make me despise the outside power.

As depicted in the film, the daily lives of Iraqis were looting, fighting each other, killing each other, and widespread demonstrations. Homes were burnt down, so people became homeless. Also, the country came to a standstill (Shaikh 1). In fact, during this period, Iraq could not be considered a country because even its leaders had exiled the nation and some were killed.

If I was in charge of such a situation that happened in Iraq, I would certainly plan well before venturing into the fighting. This would include setting up a team that does not clash with one another because there seemed to be some sort of tension among the American leaders who were charged with the reconstruction. I would also mind more of the innocent citizens that the actual enemy. I would also ensure that there is peace in the land.

The Iraqis and, to some extent, Americans, ended up losing as a result of the war.  The whole of Iraq was completely destroyed. Therefore, after the war, it was like setting up a new country from the ground (Shaikh 1). Americans lost in the sense that it was their mistakes that led to the suffering of Iraqis.

An estimated 155,000 Iraqis died as a result of the warfare. Nearly 3 million Iraqis were left displaced (Griffis 1). They also lost all their significant monuments. Finally, businesses also came to a standstill as there was widespread fighting.

The total number of American soldiers plus their affiliates, such as U.K. soldiers, that were killed in the war is 4,000. A total of $4.9 trillion was spent in the fighting (Griffis 1). Some soldiers also committed suicide. Others suffered from PTSD.

War crimes are basically violations of the rules of war (international humanitarian law), which lead to individual criminal responsibility (ICC 1). U.S. leaders should face persecution because their endeavors in Iraq led to widespread individual criminal responsibility. The U.S. military greatly mistreated Iraqi prisoners and other individuals. The nationwide looting was also due to the endeavors of the United States.

U.S. has a moral obligation to rebuild Iraq. As elaborated in the Geneva Convention, a country going into war has the responsibility of protecting its citizens and assets and solely focusing on the enemy. The United States destroyed everything (Larson 56). This war endeavor led to the destruction of all Iraq monuments among other significant assets.

My responsibility as an informed citizen is to enlighten people’s minds who solely thought that Iraqis were fully responsible for destroying their own land, but the United States also played a big part. Also, my purpose is to inform citizens that, in case such a case transpires, they should keep themselves out of illegal endeavors because it might affect their country. People should not loot or destroy their structures because these structures are what define the country. They should also do all they can to protect others.