Should the US Pull Their Troops out of Iraq - Essay Example

US FOREIGN POLICY Should the US pull their troops out of Iraq.................2-4 Should the US continue to support Israel....................5-7 References...................................................8 Should the US pull their troops out of Iraq Several important figures of the world of politics and the military forces on the United States of America, such as the CIA chief (1995-1996) John Deutch, say they should (AFX News Limited). From those that argue that the war was never necessary in the first place to those that say it is time to pull the troops out, the issue has caused controversy for years. Historical reasons Many argue that we, the Western World, were "tricked" by our politicians to get into the war when they convinced us that Saddam was accumulating weapons of mass destruction and that a clear link existed between Iraq and Al Qaeda, the group responsible for the 9/11 massacre in the Twin Towers (New York, USA). However, during Gulf War I most of Saddam's weapons were destroyed and, with the country under a very strict embargo since then, it is virtually impossible he could have accumulated such an arsenal. Political reasons Experts often argue that the US should not be trying to re-build a nation according to its own values. Additionally, it is believed that the presence of US troops in the area is fuelling the civil war that is taking place there. During the years following the Golf War I, the US bombed Iraq daily killing thousands of Iraqis and it is thus not surprising that the Americans are viewed as occupiers. Many Iraqis firmly believe that America has come to conquer and not to aid them. Economic reasons In terms of the economic cost, it was L. Lindsey, President Bush's economic adviser, who several years ago suggested that the cost of the war would reach $200 billion. Since then, this has been proved to be a serious underestimation: the US Congress has already spent in the order of $357 billion for military operations, reconstruction works, enhanced security at US bases and foreign aid programs in Iraq and the neighbouring Afghanistan (Bilmes and Stiglitz). Conclusion Therefore, if the reasons to start the war were: 1) liberation of Iraq of the regime of terror imposed by Saddam; 2) the establishment of a democracy; 3) self-defence and elimination of any weapons of mass destruction; and 4) protection of the Middle East; and these issues have now been resolved (liberation of Iraq has been achieved and Saddam has been tried and executed for the crimes he committed; a democracy or at least a new government selected after democratic elections has started to exercise power; weapons of mass destruction were never found; there is no risk that a country in ruins will try to attack or invade the neighbouring countries-even when Saddam was alive this was quite a remote possibility) What is the presence of the US troops in the area achieving The answer is simple: nothing. From an international point of view, the presence of US troops is only aggravating the problem, increasing the possibilities of a bloody civil war. From a domestic point of view the deployment of troops in Iraq weakens the US military power; it detracts attention from other issues, such as international terrorism and the situation with North Korea and Iran; and the economic and human cost has risen significantly. While an early withdrawal of the troops has been announced by the British government, President Bush has confirmed an additional 21,500 additional troops will be sent in (Harding and Hardern). Is he seriously damaging the image of the US and its international credibility Many believe he is Should the US continue to support Israel There are many reasons for the existing strong relationship between Israel and the US. First, the US was the first country to recognize the state of Israel. Secondly, the US has maintained a very profitable arm trade with Israel for a number of years. Thirdly, Israel is a very useful non-NATO ally that has a very strategic location in the "explosive" Middle East. The support of the state of Israel by the US population is obvious from recent polls that confirm that it is regarded as one of their closest allies. So much so that, although a majority of the population agree that the US is more likely to be targeted for a terrorist attack as a result of the support of Israel, a large percentage believes that this support should continue. However, dissident groups have appeared within the North American society that argue that Israel has breached UN decisions, is illegally occupying Palestinian territories and is the perpetrator of human rights abuses. So, should the US withdraw its support The answer is yes. First, experts have suggested that the US-Israel bond might result in worsening relations with other Arab states. Additionally, comments such as those made by Dick Cheney do not help the situation. He suggested that a retreat (from Iraq) would be seen as an encouragement of the enemies of the Jewish state and would increase the risk of initiating a regional conflict. Secondly, in the conflict with Palestine it is the UN (and not the US, who should remove themselves and remain neutral), that should mediate between the 2 countries and regulate their relations. Thirdly, while withdrawal of support would be highly unpopular within the American society, international relations would be greatly improved. As it stands, the US runs the risk of seeing itself in the middle of an ethnic/religious war predicted to happen in the next 10 to 20 years. References -AFX News Limited. "US should pull out of Iraq now says former CIA chief John Deutch". Forbes.com. Date last accessed: March 18, 2007. -Bilmes, L. and Stiglitz, J.E. "The economic costs of the Iraq war: an appraisal three years after the beginning of the conflict". Date last accessed: March 17, 2007. -Harding, T. and Harnden, T. "3,000 British troops to pull out of Iraq by May". Telegraph.co.uk. Date last updated: March 18, 2007. Date last accessed: March 18, 2007. Read More