Bush's Iraq War

L. David Roper (roperld@vt.edu)

Almost all the reasons given by Bush for invading Iraq have been shown to be invalid and almost all the reasons given by others for not invading Iraq have proven valid.

The major reasons given by Bush to invade Iraq are:

• Iraq had massive amounts of weapons of mass destruction. Rumsfeld said that he knew exactly where the weapons are. Where are they? Possibly the claims were intended falsehoods. It appears that the major holder of weapons of mass destruction is still the United States.
• Iraq could attack the United States within a few minutes with its weapons. Where are those weapons and the delivery systems? Every U.S. claim for an Iraqi weapons delivery system has been discredited; possibly the claims were intended falsehoods.
• Iraq was involved with the September 11 2001 plots. No credible evidence has ever been given for this claim? Possibly the claims were intended falsehoods. Bush continues to mislead the U.S. people about this by referring to the invasion of Iraq as part of the war against terrorism.
• Iraq was conspiring with Al Qaeda to attack the United States. No credible evidence has ever been given for this claim? Possibly the claims were intended falsehoods. Bush continues to mislead the U.S. people about this by referring to the invasion of Iraq as part of the war against terrorism.
• Selling Iraqi oil would pay for the reconstruction of Iraq. Where is the money?
• The citizens of Iraq would quickly and strongly celebrate the U.S. invasion. When is the celebration going to begin?

The only reason Bush sometimes gave for invading Iraq that is valid is that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant. The world is full of tyrants. Are we going to invade all countries with tyrants as leaders, or only those who have oil under their sand?

Some of the reasons given by others for not invading Iraq are:

• Many innocent civilians would be killed. According to http://www.iraqbodycount.net that number is now about 7500, more than twice the number of people killed by the 11 September 2001 plots. (In addition, about 3500 innocent civilians have been killed so far in Afghanistan.) Are Iraqi and Afghan innocent citizens less valuable than U.S. innocent citizens?
• The radioactive weapons (missiles, bombs, shells and tank armor) used by the U.S. in Iraq would add to the radioactivity left there in the Gulf War, which will be there for millions of years. It would cause a Bush-War Syndrome similar to the Gulf-War Syndrome to permanently injure the health of some U.S. troops and would increase the health problems of the Iraqi citizens. In future years the hatred for the U.S. would increase in the Arab world because of this war crime of using weapons of indiscriminant destruction. For more information see the Depleted Uranium Education Project: http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/du.htm.
• It would enrage the Muslim world and cause many more people to join the terrorists. This is certainly happening.
• It would cause great unrest in Iraq with which the invading forces would have to contend. It was obvious when Hussein gave out guns and ammunition to almost all citizens and released prisoners before the invasion, that the stage was set for this. It appears that Hussein's war strategy was precisely this, and the Pentagon fell for it.
• Terrorist from countries all around Iraq would come into Iraq to fight the invading force. This is certainly happening. Although Iraq had very little connection with terrorist organizations before the U.S. invaded Iraq, it has joined Afghanistan as a battleground of the U.S. with terrorists, as if the Iraqi people had not suffered enough under Hussein, the Gulf War and U.N. sanctions. If the U.S. invades Iran or Syria, as Bush often hints that he might do, then the U.S. will have three or four battlegrounds with terrorists, to the extreme detriment of the Iranian and/or Syrian people and the fight against terrorism. Each new battleground created by Bush will likely add many more terrorists to the fight than existed before.
• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict would not get the attention it needs from the U.S. and would be worsened by the enhanced hatred by the people of the Arab world of the U.S. and its client state Israel. This has happened.
• The antiquities of Iraq would be in dire danger. The U.S. invading force did not even consider this, and great destruction occurred.
• Democracy cannot be quickly forced on a country, especially one with no tradition for it and surrounded by countries with no tradition for it. As occupiers of Iraq, the U.S. can install the trappings of a so-called democracy, but after the U.S. occupiers leave, traditions will reassert themselves. A true democracy in Iraq would likely be very anti-U.S.
• The costs of the war and rebuilding the war's destruction would eventually damage the U.S. and the world economy. This is happening in spades in the U.S. already; the speed has been enhanced by Bush's national economic policies.
• The invasion and occupation of Iraq would stretch the U.S. armed forces very thin, and thus leave the U.S. vulnerable in handling other threats, including the use of the National Guard in natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Diversion of attention and forces from Afghanistan would turn that country back into the terrorists' hands. This is happening.

So how does the United States get out of this quagmire created by Bush?

• Quickly turn over the creation of a new government in Iraq to the United Nations with most funds provided by the U.S. The U.N. would surely involve Arab nations in the process, and thereby reduce the anger in and around Iraq against the U.S. for the invasion of Iraq.
• Quickly turn over the reconstruction of Iraq to the U.N. and Arab countries, with reparations funds from the U.S. All U.S. companies making profits in Iraq should leave as soon as possible.
• Stop the tax cuts for the wealthy to help pay for the Bush Iraq War. It appears that that will not be enough; so he is going to have to figure out how to raise taxes. I think that the best way would be to greatly increase gasoline taxes, since that would also push toward more energy-efficient transportation and reduce the U.S. dependence on Arabian oil. U.S. citizen should be strongly asked to make theses changes as good patriots of the U.S.
• Start a massive program to clean up the radioactivity left in Iraq by the weapons of the U.S., administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency with full funding by the U.S.
• Provide U.S. funds to set up a universal health-care system in Iraq funded by the U.S. until the year 2010, initially administered by the U.N. This might turn Iraqi and other Arab public opinion away from being anti-U.S.

Bush made a huge terrible mistake by invading Iraq. A mature person realizes his/her mistakes, admits to them and tries to correct them. We are waiting to see whether Bush does this, or whether he continues to lead our country toward greater destruction of our economy and moral standing in the world.