Social Impacts of the War in Iraq - Essay Example

Social Impacts of the War in Iraq The invasion of Iraq was based on greed and the quest by the US to pursue global dominance through the control of the World’s largest oil reserve. This invasion only served to heighten the sense of dread among the civilians. In any war, there are economic impacts, political repercussions as well as changes in the social environment. It was characterized by direct devastation of the soldiers, their families and the society in whole (Bouvard, 2012). War is expensive and has a way of expanding the public debt through unexpected expenses and outcomes. This had the effect of wrecking havoc to the entire national budget by creating new economic demands for labor and goods. The psychological effects associated with war are far reaching and still felt today. War is generally depressing and brings with it devastating repercussions especially to the children of war. The politics of war has brought with it more division in the country along the lines of pro and anti war campaigns. This coupled with the already prevalent gap between the rich and the poor has expanded the social and economic inequalities in the society. The Bush Administration justified this war by claiming that there was evidence that Iraq had developed and were planning to use weapons of mass destruction. This claim was strengthened by the country’s history of aggression towards its neighbors such as the use of poison gas against Iran. The fact that the country had previously sponsored international terrorism caused the US government to intervene as a precautious measure. The government took it upon itself to enforce international law since the Iraqi dictatorship under Saddam Hussein had violated UN Security Council resolutions (DeFronzo 2010). The Iraqi war brought with it a lot of mixed reactions with civilians having different opinions on the need for this war. Anti war activists considered this war to be an ill conceived lunge for control of Iraqi oil by the US government. Advancement towards the long standing US policy of gaining control of the world’s oil reserves onto which the country’s power, industry and consumerism rely. This was a colonial war opposed by the rest of the world because of the previous experiences either as the conquerors or colonialists. This was seen as an imperialistic move aimed at securing the control of oil and by doing so, achieving global dominance. This war has impacted the economy in more ways than one. The military spending during the conflict created employment while the additional economic activity contributed to the development of new technologies. However, funding the war resulted in higher levels of government spending. This is because this war came at a time of weak economic conditions which led to recession. The government cutting tax at this time resulted in the financing the war using deficit. The government spent over sixty million dollars in reconstruction efforts but little was done to restore the infrastructure. Instead, most of this money went to Iraqi police and militia. In Iraq, there was a rise in unemployment because the oil companies had either been closed or bombed. Domestically, this war impacted the inequality in distribution of resources as the costs sink to the bottom whereas the benefits are for the elite. The workers and the lowest economic class carry the burden imposed by social costs while the upper class that included the proponents for this war reaped the benefits. The war climate brought with it discrimination especially against Muslims as well as the fear for the impending dangers associated with retaliatory actions of the Iraqi Muslim radicals. The fear of being associated with terror groups or “persons of interest” has a crippling effect on the relationship between individuals and the Law Enforcement Agencies. Further, this has caused societal modifications in terms of relationships between individuals and families. There has been a rise in vigilance and individuals view each other suspiciously. This has further caused individuals to be more reluctant about their rights to speech in public. People are further more immune to horrific depictions of the suffering brought about by the war. This further means that there is an increased tolerance of violence in entertainment and expression in the day to day activities. To counter these effects, people have become more reserved and increasingly immersed in their work and personal lives as a means to avoid discussions about the war. Additionally civilians’ lives have become increasingly characterized by anxieties and the feeling of helplessness regarding the unexpected and devastating events that they may be exposed to. The fear of boarding a plane only to be hijacked by terrorists or being held hostage while undertaking their daily activities bring about psychological terror. A decade after this war and US is still paying for it in monetary, strategy, psychological and moral ways. This war not only affected the Iraqi people but also had negative social impact on the soldiers themselves. According to Bouvard (2012), the soldiers were stretched to their limit, put on multiple tours without time to recover and the length of each tour increased as the war progressed. Over 4,000 soldiers died with about 31,000 injured. These suffered from physical disability, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). War conditions create wounds in the memories of individuals and as such they are unable to live productive lives. The war is associated with higher incidents of mental and physical illness and suicidal tendencies. Families with war veterans suffer through the impact of war on these individuals. The cost of providing medical care to them doubled at this time not to mention the debilitating effects on the soldiers. According to a 2009 study, up to 35% of these soldiers suffered from PTSD while the suicide rate among them rose to 22 per day. The power vacuum left after the fall of Saddam Hussein coupled with the lack of US forces left room for other powers to fill the void. These included Al Qaeda who with Saddam as president had no influence in Iraq. This was an unnecessary war whose only agenda was furthering the interests of the proponents. The consequences of which will be felt for decades to come. Instead of providing global stability and trust, the US only succeeded in alienating its people and exposing them to risks associated with terrorism and retaliatory attacks. The costs of war extend beyond monetary and political issues to affect the mental and physical wellbeing of the soldiers not to mention the Iraqis. Funding losses due to the war is responsible for the diminished cultural and artistic activity as well as a decrease in diversity of what remains of these. For individuals who are activists and sympathetic to an anti war attitude, this war presents a new challenge of exposing the propaganda promoted by the American imperialists and hence laid the grounds for opposing this war. On the other hand, for an individual motivated by personal gain, this war presented new avenues for career advancement, business venture and capitalistic ventures. The question that policy makers should ask themselves is whether the country should accept the financial drain associated with war, further fueling its imperialistic agenda and risk opening the door for social revolution or avoid such campaigns and let these countries stabilize their existing structures. References Bouvard, M. G. (2012). The invisible wounds of war: Coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Amherst, N.Y: Prometheus Books. DeFronzo, J. (2010). The Iraq War: Origins and consequences. Bolder, CO: Westview Press. Read More