Political science essay question

U.S. Military Power & Its Uses

Do you think our military needs to be so large and powerful? Do you think it is ever possible for the U.S. To use force against another nation? Do you agree with President Obama's decision to end the war in Iraq? Do you believe President Obama deserved to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Explain why or why not in answering all the questions.

The world is a dangerous place where sometimes sovereign nations go to war against each other, or oppress their own people, or are unable to solve their domestic problems. In those cases, it becomes imperative for the United Nations to act. The United Nations, however, is constrained by a set of rules and regulations, not to mention its large bureaucracy and occasional corruption. That was certainly the case when the Rwandan genocide took place in 1994. Given this incompetence and inability of the United Nations to act in such urgent cases, some people argue that the United States needs to take responsibility as a world policeman to make sure that such massacres do not take place -- or at least are stopped before they take a huge death toll. There is a potential problem with this suggestion, however, as there is no guarantee that the United States is going to act for the benefit of the world rather than for its self-interest. Moreover, the concentration of so much power at the hands of one nation, even of a democratic one, may lead to a situation when this nation may violate the norms of international law. According to many American and international observers, this is what happened when the U.S. decided to invade Iraq. Moreover, when the military becomes so large and powerful as it is in the United States, the military may wield too much power and undermine the supremacy of the civilian rule. After all, it was a former general who, upon delivering his farewell speech as a U.S. President, warned against the dangers of "military industrial complex" (Eisenhower).

In the wake of September 11, many people around the world proclaimed "We Are All America Now," to show their solidarity with the U.S. But that solidarity soon waned after the United States rushed to war against Taliban in Afghanistan, and especially against the regime of Saddam Hussein although there was no conclusive evidence showing that Hussein was involved in September 11 attacks or that he possessed weapons of mass destruction. And because many people lost their trust in America's unilateral use of power, and because the U.S. now is mired in the two wars, and smaller-scale interventions in other countries like Yemen and Somalia, it is certainly hard for the U.S. To use force openly against another nation. But the U.S. has been in such a situation before when the Vietnam War was over. The U.S. was able to overcome the Vietnam Syndrome and it is quite possible that the most powerful military in the world will be able to get over the Iraq syndrome.

President Obama's decision to end the war in Iraq is the right decision. It is a complicated situation in Iraq since full stability there has not been provided. The U.S. forces cannot leave immediately but it is also important that the responsibility for governing Iraq should be gradually conveyed to the Iraqis. This is the norm in international affairs today and it is in the interests of both the United States and Iraq. Ending the war in Iraq is necessary for the Iraqis because prolonged American presence there may further alienate the general population and discourage the Iraqi government from taking greater responsibility. It is also the right decision for the U.S. because the war began to demoralize the U.S. military and drain the U.S. economy.