U.S. War in Iraq Ever

U.S. War in Iraq

Ever since the tragic events of 9/11 more than 10 years ago, the American involvement in the Iraq war has been hotly debated. Some argue for the maintenance of peace and security in the country, while others maintain that the United States is far beyond its ethical boundaries in both entering and perpetuating is presence in the country. When critically investigating the reasons for the United States entering the war in the first place, the evidence tends toward the second view. The United States began its involvement as part of the "war on terror," citing several reasons for its continued presence in the country. These reasons, however, appear to be thinly veiled attempts to cover the basic lack of ethics involved in continuing the war in a country where thousands of civilians were subject to human rights violations, weapons of mass destruction were never discovered, and had no initial involvement in the war.

Thousands of civilians have experienced extreme violations of their human rights since the start of the occupation. In addition to and estimated more than 10,000 innocent Iraqi civilians who died as a result of cluster bombings, severe human rights violations are also occurring in interrogation cells

. Indeed, reports have indicated sadistic sexual abuse against Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad by American Marines in civilian clothing. This is in direct violation of the Geneva Convention. The International Committee of the Red Cross also indicated that its repeated requests to take action against these human rights abuses went unheeded for more than nine months. These violations are at the forefront of arguments against the war in Iraq.

Another argument, in both ethical and concrete terms, is the validity (or lack thereof) of the claim that Iraq housed weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

. Investigation has proved conclusively and beyond a doubt that there are no WMDs in the country or in the possession of Al Qaeda. Officials have therefore used this unsubstantiated claim as a reason for maintaining its presence in the country. This might be said to constitute lying to the public for no better reason than to remain in a war that has already been costing the country millions of billions of dollars.

A particularly important point, besides the other two, in the argument against the ongoing war in Iraq is the fact that the country and its people never began the hostilities in the first place. The terrorists responsible for 9/11 were not Iraqi

. The only reason for entering Iraq was the fact that there was a significant Al Qaeda base. The Iraqis themselves are the victims of their position amid the violence. In effect, they are paying for hostility and a war that is not theirs and that they have no involvement in. Perpetuating a war like this in a country that is essentially innocent is a gross violation not only of human rights, but also of ethics in general.

In conclusion, the worst part of the war in Iraq is probably its duration. Despite increasing public calls for a stop to the lack of ethical footing surrounding the war in Iraq, the American presence in the country has been ongoing for more than a decade under the premise of maintaining order and security