Like any other issue in American foreign policy, the answer is not always clear-cut. On the one hand, Iraq was cooperating with United Nations (UN) weapons inspectors by 2002 when Iraqi representatives gave access to the inspectors to all areas of Iraq. On the other hand, Iraq government officials were not answering questions regarding weapons completely or accurately. For this reason, the United States (US) stepped up its rhetoric against Iraq and pushed for war. “Although Iraq was cooperative on what inspectors called “process”—allowing inspectors access to suspected weapons sites, for example—it was only marginally cooperative in answering the questions surrounding its weapons programs. Unable to resolve its differences with Security Council members who favored strengthening and continuing weapons inspections, the United States abandoned the inspections process and initiated the invasion of Iraq on March 19” (Crail).
Based on this alone, the Bush Administration and the coalition of the willing were not justified for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. However, this was not the only reason given. The Administration of George W. Bush (GWBA), as a necessary American defense, introduced the doctrine of Preemptive Strikes, the concept of Imminent Threat and a blatant disregard for idealism. “The gravest danger our Nation faces lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology. Our enemies have openly declared that they are seeking weapons of mass destruction, and evidence indicates that they are doing so with determination. The United States will not allow these efforts to succeed. We will build defenses against ballistic missiles and other means of delivery. We will cooperate with other nations to deny, contain, and curtail our enemies’ efforts to acquire dangerous technologies. And, as a matter of common sense and self-defense, America will act against such emerging threats before they are fully formed. We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. So we must be prepared to defeat our enemies’ plans, using the best intelligence and proceeding with deliberation. History will judge harshly those who saw this coming danger but failed to act. In the new world we have entered, the only path to peace and security is the path of action” (Bush, 2002).
The plans to attack Iraq were also formulated by key members of the GWBA prior to George W. Bush being awarded the presidency in 2000 by the Supreme Court. The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was an ultra conservative think tank that produced documents throughout the Bill Clinton Administration (BCA). Although George W Bush was never a member, his brother Jeb was, along with Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Pearl and several other significant associates of GWBA. One of many documents developed by the PNAC was Rebuilding America’s Defenses, which paints a toxic view of Iraq, Iran, Libya and North Korea as well as the “dire” need to increase military spending, defensive technology and American defenses. The term “regime change” is never explicitly stated in regards to Iraq, but the message is implied throughout the document. Several PNAC reports and letters to Congress also exist that discuss the threat of Iraq and the need for regime change. For extended readings from this group on the subject of war with Iraq during the BCA, go to the following Uniform Resource Locator (URL): http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqmiddleeast2000-1997.htm.
The GWBA cited evidence in their case against Iraq to the United Nations, Congress and the American Press. Instances about Iraq seeking to purchase yellowcake (partially refined uranium ore that is often used as an intermediate step in the production of nuclear weapons) from Nigeria in 2002/2003 were claimed as ample proof that Iraq posed an Imminent Threat to America. However, several experts repudiated the claim as cherry-picked intelligence to paint a specific picture that was fundamentally untrue. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sent former ambassador Joseph Wilson to verify the claims about Saddam Hussein’s attempts to purchase uranium from Nigeria. His report debunked the claims of GWBA and led to White House personnel breaking the law and ethical codes of conduct to punish Wilson for leaking his findings to the press. Thus, Valerie Plame was ousted as a CIA operative and could never work under cover for the agency again. The years preceding and immediately following the 2003 invasion of Iraq were filled with deceptive partisan maneuvers from all sides of the political spectrum, Machiavellian exploits from the GWBA and a decisive split amongst Americans regarding the war. Many Americans were led to believe that invading Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein from power was necessary to protect the US. However, in several discussions about this reason, not one person could explain how this actually protected us from terrorism. Any arguments given to defend this position are easily obliterated logically.
To complicate this element further, 500 tons of yellowcake was located in Iraq and sold to Canada during the end of the Bush presidency. This alone does not vindicate the GWBA invasion of Iraq, as the material cannot be used in a dirty bomb or as a chemical agent on its own. Nor does it prove that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program. Most importantly, the UN weapons inspectors would have been able to locate the same material without a military invasion and the subsequent loss of life.
One factor that I have explored, and has led some to label me a traitor, is the fact that George W Bush is a businessman: specifically, a corrupt oilman with decidedly a seemingly disdainful view of the lower classes and a predilection for insider business dealings. His prior business dealings notwithstanding, Gorge W. Bush’s presidency consistently rewarded his wealthy corporate base while damaging the rights of consumers and workers. Based on this and the historical record, I contend that the real reason we invaded Iraq was to privatize the oil. Several people have pointed out that the price of gas never dropped to a reasonable rate as a result of the 2003 Iraq War. This fact is true and proves that control of the oil was never about American consumers. Privatization of Iraqi oil was about controlling their two main clients, Russia and China. Bush even implied that control of the oil was necessary for security during a few speeches, for example: “The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow — would — would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions” (Bush, 2007). Since the beginning of the Iraq War, the GWBA has been actively seeking privatization of the oil. The Iraqi government, to allow private company contracts, which ExxonMobile and several other transnational corporations are salivating over, is now discussing legislation. As I have said all along, this is about the oil. I do not think Bush is an evil man. He is merely a sleazy businessman (a blasphemy during his presidency).
In conclusion, the second Persian Gulf War is not justified. The GWBA should have committed true multilateralism by working with UN inspectors. The quasi-multilateralism (a coalition of mostly questionable states) to attack a weaker nation against the will of the majority of the world (including many Americans) does not justify the invasion either. This is an action that could have been resolved diplomatically, perhaps with a threat by NATO forces if necessary, without the millions of lost lives, torture, decimation of Iraq’s infrastructure, destabilization of the are and so on. Yes, it is true that Saddam was a monster. He used weapons of mass destruction on his own people and the Iranians. These are weapons that we supplied him during the Ronald Reagan presidency. Comedian Paul Mooney as the character Negrodamus on the Dave Chappelle Show said it best: “Girl in Audience ‘Negrodamus, Why is President Bush so sure that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction?’ Negrodamus ‘Because he has the receipt.’ (Mooney, 2004).”
References
Bush, G.W. The White House, (2002). The national security strategy of the united states of america Washington D.C.: Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/national/nss-020920.pdf
Bush, G.W. (2007, January 11). Transcript of president bush’s address to nation on u.s. policy in iraq. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/us/11ptext.html
Crail, P. (n.d.). Disarming saddam-a chronology of iraq and un weapons inspections from 2002-2003. Retrieved from http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/iraqchron
Mooney, P. (Artist). (2004). Negrodamus - michael jackson. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=219357&title=negrodamus---michael-jackson
Bibliography
Donnelly, T. (2000). Rebuilding america’s defenses. The Project for the New American Century, Retrieved from http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
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