Introduction
The Iraq war remains one of the most controversial conflicts of the 21st century thus far. The two arguments currently being pushed by political opinion influencers are that the Iraq War was necessary versus being a misguided overreaction. This essay will seek to prove that the attack on Iraq was misguided at best, and criminal at worst, not to mention treasonous to the US national interest.
Criticism of the Iraq War
It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Whatever the reasons for going into a war, it will always be judged by the results. The Iraqi state was obliterated, the new government propped up by the US is incapable of independent governance, and has lost much of its territory to ISIS in 2015-2017 (DeFronzo 114). The number of people killed in the war or in its aftermath exceeds 1 million people (DeFronzo 49). The fall of Iraq became a major destabilizing factor in the Middle East.
The motives behind the war are suspect as well. It is a well-known fact that the reports about Saddam’s WMDs have been falsified. Iraq also had a much lesser role in facilitating the attack of 9/11 compared to the Saudis, who were left unscathed by the self-righteous wrath of the American state(DeFronzo 55). There is an argument that the US is pursuing a systematic policy of destabilizing the Middle East in its bid to control its oil reserves.
The arguments for going to war mainly relied on the perceived threat of Iraq to the US and its allies, combined with the “moral obligation” to dethrone Saddam Hussein. These arguments can be easily deflected – the WMD line has already proven to be a hoax, and Saddam Hussein is no more brutal a dictator than Saudi Arabia is (DeFronzo 56). The latter is one of the US’s closest allies in the region.
Conclusion
Thus, the war in Iraq was wrong on all accounts. Its moral motivation is incredibly suspect, its results are destructive, and it brought about the birth of ISIS, which is infinitely more dangerous than Al-Qaeda ever was. True motivations behind the war remain classified, but they were likely self-serving, proving that the US cannot be the world’s moral police.
Work Cited
DeFronzo, James. The Iraq war: Origins and consequences. Routledge, 2018.