U.S. War on Iraq and Iran

Aftermath of the U.S. War against Iraq: Its effects on U.S.-Iran Relations

Following the aftermath of the recent war against Iraq, the United States government has been pushing forward in building its program for a free and democratic Middle East region. However, despite its "idealistic" program, the U.S. government faces a lot of criticism from Middle Eastern countries, particularly Iran, a country that had been least receptive of the success of U.S. In Gulf War II (U.S.-Iraq War). This month, with U.S. facing great pressure from countries all over the world because of the absence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, it is facing another antagonist to its efforts in "liberating" Middle East. This is through Iran, which has reportedly been manufacturing nuclear weapons. This makes Iran another "Iraq" in the making, defying UN inspections and international law in limiting and preventing it from manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, of which nuclear weapons are just one of its kinds. In an article by Joseph Treaster last September 30 in The New York Times entitled, "Powell tells Arab-Americans of Hopes to Develop Mideast," Treaster reports on U.S. plans to further expand on its program for the Middle Eastern region, particularly in dealing with social, political, and economic problems in Iraq, as well as dealing with the continuing conflict of Palestine and Israel over land territories. However, another important topic discussed in this article is how Iran looms as a possible threat to U.S. security (as well as international security) because of its possible production of nuclear weapons, which the Iran government has been vehemently denying of having ("International Atomic Energy Agency has given Iran a deadline of Oct. 31 to prove it is not using a nuclear power plant to enrich uranium for weapons"). Thus, what resulted after the U.S.-Iraq war are the deteriorating relations U.S. have among Middle Eastern countries, particularly countries hostile to democracy and the U.S., not to mention the poor living conditions Iraqis are in right after the war.

Source:

Treaster, J. "Powell tells Arab-Americans of Hopes to Develop Mideast." 30 September 2003. The New York Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/international/middleeast/30ARAB.html.