Overview of President Bush’s actions
- George Bush was the most vocal promoter of military acts against Iraq thus spearheading its invasion.
- His actions prior and during this affront highlight his intentions to engage in war. Subsequently, Bush sought permission to engage in war through congress.
- Bush coerced states aligned to NATO to join the incursion.
- Bush lied on several occasions with respect to the actual state of affairs when put to task by regulatory authorities at an internal level (CNN, 2010).
- Bush misinterpreted preliminary report indicating the likely presence of such weapons.
- Bush believed he was restoring America’s supremacy.
Current issues prior to the War against Iraq
Bush initiated the war in order to make a statement about Americas might as a superpower after the radical attacks on 9/11. His desire to prove America’s supremacy was his main undoing. This is because it forced him into a series of erroneous judgments. These strategies eventually led to the unnecessary invasion of Iraq, which cost the country billions of dollars and lives of industrious service men. The most regrettable aftermath of this occurrence was the death of millions of civilians while others lost their homes (Chauhan, 2003).
It is noteworthy that America participated actively in the crusade against terrorism. Moreover, it joined efforts with Israel to fight perpetrators of the heinous act. It is noteworthy that most of these perpetrators hailed from the Arab world. In addition, these attacks have prompted many heads of state to invest in fortification mechanisms for their countries.
This is in a bid to minimize threats since such attacks might occur in the future. Consequently, several states established a tribunal to investigate the availability and circulation of illegal weaponry of mass obliteration. This team had the responsibility of establishing the most probable locations, which could house terrorists (Mahnken, 2007).
President Bush, who persuaded America’s allies to join the warfare against Iraq, quickly took up a preliminary report that indicated the likely presence of lethal weapons in Iraq. This depicts poor judgment, since a leader in his position ought to have exercised patience and waited for the conclusion of investigation on the matter.
This is prior to adopting conclusive results. In addition, he should have adjusted the military calendar and scrutinized the reports. This is because most of the mentioned sites lacked credible weapons that posed a danger to humanity (Chauhan, 2003).
Perceived motivation of President Bush
Several reasons influenced President Bush’s decision to authorize the attack on Iraq. He based this action on claims that armaments of mass annihilation and other illegal artillery were present in Iraq. It is noteworthy that such allegations are unsubstantiated to date. Since Saddam opted not to cooperate with the Bush administration, the latter used his authority to overthrow him forcefully and assume control of the nation and its vast resources.
Bush further claimed that his Iraqi counterpart exuded dictatorial tendencies. This technique of leadership is different from the democratic system evident in the country and other western nations. Fears of Saddam’s widespread influence among regional states also influenced his resolution to attack Iraq. He propagated his imperialist habits by indicating that he was transferring democracy to suppressed people in the gulf nation.
It goes without question that President Bush was out to restore America’s deflated pride, especially after its vulnerabilities were evident in the radical affronts carried out within it by terrorist groups. His poor judgment is further evident when he chooses to focus on sentiments, as opposed to the rationale and facts (Middle East Online, 2010). He disregarded the advice of experts, who clearly pointed out the absence of illegal weapons as exemplified in previous intelligence briefs.
Impact of his actions on America and its citizens
His actions have placed the populace at a precarious position due to increased threat of attack from rebel groups. This is because America’s attack on Iraq provoked these groups; hence, they want to revenge. Additionally, the war caused harm to innocent civilians. Most importantly, the Islam religion often viewed such attacks as a means of revenge. Consequently, their faith allows such actions.
After the war, America’s popularity reduced drastically. This is because other groups still believe that it is extremely aggressive; furthermore, it holds little regard for humanity and the rights of other persons. Its foreign policy has been subject to ridicule on several occasions.
Its enemies successfully portray it as a nation of intolerant and self-seeking persons. Consequently, most of its nationals are subjects of suspicion. This is without assessing the nobility of their intentions (Profita, 2007). However, this is not fair since one cannot judge the entire American society basing on the actions of Bush.
Most importantly, these attacks weakened the economies of both nations. It is noteworthy that the latest financial crisis is a resultant attribute of this war. This is because the defense budget increased tremendously, thus affecting other sectors of the economy. This had a negative influence on the economy; furthermore, the unsustainable projects bore fewer returns. This implied that minimal finances were recovered, hence deficits in the American budget.
References
Chauhan, S. (2003). War on Iraq. New Delhi: S.B NANGIA, A.P.H Publishing Corporation.
CNN. (2010). Timeline: Major events in Iraq since the start of the war. Web.
Mahnken, T. (2007). War in Iraq: planning and execution. New York, NY: Routledge Publishers.
Middle East online. (2010). Blix accuses Bush, Blair of ‘poor judgment’. Web.
Profita, H. (2007). Bush’s Iraq Plan Collapses. CBS News. Web.