The War on Terror is a military campaign enacted by George W. Bush to fight terrorism following the attack on 9/11 conducted by al-Qaeda according to thebalance.com. The War on Terror also included the Iraq War. The Iraq War was a long time coming with the hostility and aggression of the country. Iraq continued to resist attempts at peace made by both the United States and the United Nations. The twelve years of diplomacy employed by Iraqi officials was just a facade, a tactic to stall for more time according to the source document President George W. Bush’s announcement of US invasion of Iraq. The repeated attempts of the world to try and peacefully disarm Iraq of its catastrophic weapons were unsuccessful and met with enmity. The United …show more content…
George Bush even announced a radio broadcast, saying that the war was directed against the ruthless men leaders of the country and that it would deliver help in different forms for the people of the country to create a “new Iraq”. George W. Bush believed that Iraq people were innocent and needed to be liberated from under the govern of Saddam Hussein and so issued that if Hussein and his sons chose not to leave the country of Iraq within 24 hours, conflict would be unavoidable according to the document George W. Bush, 2003. Bush wanted the terrorism that threatened America and the rest of the world to be terminated and that it would only happen if the root of the problem, Saddam Hussein, was disarmed according to the source. If left unchecked, he believed that Iraq would only grow in power and come to challenge “all free nations” and so issued an announcement that is shown in the first source as his announcement of US invasion of Iraq. “The United States with other countries will work to advance liberty and peace in that region.” George Bush said, talking about the threat in …show more content…
One such example is Ehren Watada, “a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army” according to the document Lt. Ehren Watada, "My Duty" (2006). He believed the war against Iraq to be illegal and morally wrong. He went on to say that the war violated many laws such as the system of separation of powers and treaties enforced by the constitution according to the source. Instead of believing his words to be those of a traitor, Ehren Watada truly believed that “ refusing unlawful orders for an illegal war” was his duty as part of oath to “protect and defend America’s laws and its people.” and that by refusing these orders, he was fulfilling his
The war in Iraq was declared in March 2003 for many reasons. Some of the reasons are to free Iraq, the oil, and because Saddam Hussein did not allow weapons inspectors search for nuclear weapons. The US wanted to take over Iraq and free its people from the torture they had been enduring for so long. Saddam Hussein had developed weapons of mass destruction that posed a long-term threat to America. He denied weapons inspectors access to search for nuclear war weapons and this served as a threat to other countries. The aim had been the destruction of the Iraqi society enabling the US and Britain to gain control of Iraq's huge oil reserves.
Bush had been eager to go to war with Iraq from the moment he stepped into office and the administration's focus was chiefly on Iraq even before the war in Afghanistan had begun. In Where Men Win Glory, the text reveals that “in November 2001, President Bush and Vice President Cheney had instructed Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to secretly create a detailed plan for the invasion of Iraq” (Krakauer 192).
The power of blind obedience taints individuals’ ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong in terms of obedience, or disobedience, to an unjust superior. In the article “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism,” Marianne Szegedy-Maszak discusses the unwarranted murder of innocent individuals due to vague orders that did not survive with certainty. Szegedy-Maszak utilizes the tactics of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization, respectively, to attempt to justify the soldiers’ heinous actions (Szegedy-Maszak 76-77). In addition, “Just Do What the Pilot Tells You” by Theodore Dalrymple distinguishes between blind disobedience and blind obedience to authority and stating that neither is superior;
Saddam Hussein’s main purpose of sending troops to take over Kuwait was to take control of their oil fields, which Hussein believed would be an easy task; however, he failed to understand that the United States and United Nations were keeping a very close watch on the Iraqi’s actions. Hussein also had other motives, such as freeing himself from the debt he was drowning in from the Iran-Iraq War just two years earlier. He set the pretense for war with Kuwait by defining their refusal to give land to Iraq as an act of military belligerence. President Bush ordered the United States to respond just five days after Iraq had invaded Kuwait. If the United States had not taken action, Hussein would have possibly continued to invade other oil producing countries and take control of the United States main sources of oil as well as threaten a number of innocent people’s lives.
Estlund, David. "On Following Orders in an Unjust War*." Journal of Political Philosophy 15.2 (2007): 213-234.
Stated by President Bush, “Americans should not expect one battle but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen.” Bush launched the War in Afghanistan to find and to bring to justice Osama bin Laden, head of the al-Qaeda organization that launched the 9/11 attack.
During the tsarist regime in Russia, terrorism came in the form of anarchy and the secret police was put in the position of putting an end to it. Terrorism is a crime against humanity and as such should be treated as a criminal offence and should be dealt with by the police. President W. Bush declaring war on terrorism without the approval of congress is unconstitutional and it is an abuse of power. The war in my opinion was infused with the spirit of seeking unilateral American dominance. President Bush’s policies on foreign affairs are examples of his arrogance of power; telling President Yasser Arafat to step down
On September 11, 2001, our country was hit with enormous devastation, just after eight o’clock a.m. the first of the twin towers was struck by a suicide pilot, the second was struck slightly later. The towers fell just after ten o’clock a.m., devastating the entire country, and ruining the lives of many. A plane also hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and another in rural Pennsylvania causing just as much grief. The U.S. is still in mourning, but standing tall, more Americans showed their American pride in the following months than ever before. In the months to come the only thing that was on the minds of millions was: Should we go to war? War is necessary for the survival of our country. Going to war with Iraq is a fight against terrorism. Many people believed that going to war with Iraq is unjust. Some believe that there are other ways in looking at the situation.
Middle Captain Shigehira’s plea to the Buddha, before his execution, exemplifies this. Shigehira declared “I was not acting of my own free will when I committed my grave sins; I was merely trying to do my duty. Who that lives can spurn an imperial command?” Regardless of what was commanded, the warrior was obligated to obey. Director of the Military Stores Bureau Yorimasa confirms this decree when he is ordered to restrain an invisible monster.
The Iraq war, also known as the second Gulf War, is a five-year, ongoing military campaign which started on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by U.S. troops. One of the most controversial events in the history of the western world, the war has caused an unimaginable number of deaths, and spending of ridiculous amounts of money. The reason for invasion war Iraq’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, which eventually was disproved by weapons inspectors. Many people question George W. Bush’s decision to engage a war in Iraq, but there might be greater reason why the decision was made. The ideas of George W. Bush might have been sculpted by one of the greatest works of all time, "The Prince."
The soldiers at My Lai were in an environment conducive to obeying orders. They have been trained to follow the orders of their commanders; respect for authority is weighed heavily upon. It is hard for them to disobey because they have been integrated into the social structure of the military and when in the middle of a war they would have nowhere to turn if they choose to disobey the orders of their commanders. The consequences of disobedience for them could be sent to death. A classic example of the power of authoritative factors is provided by Stanley Milgram’s
middle of paper ... ... Even in these circumstances, such as during the Mexican-American War, these soldiers are considered good citizens who fought for their country. This is similar to how lawmakers and politicians also do not value their moral sense first, because if they base their statecraft on morality, they could be considered traitors for not thinking of the greatest advantage and benefits of their own country first at all times. In conclusion, the notion of individualism and skepticism toward the government is essential on the basis of many important reform movements in the modern society.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines terrorism as “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal” (“Terrorism”). Terrorism is a problem that all countries should be concerned with. Canada has been one of the countries that are concerned with the safety of people against terrorist attacks. Canada is very concerned with the issue of terrorism, it has a very specific position of counter-terrorism, it believes that violent extremists are the leading cause of terrorism, it has ways that the international community should respond, and it is willing to contribute to make the problem of terrorism end.
In times of war it is quite common for people to start questioning their values and their actions and be unsure of the path they are taking. This is common because to protect our values we often are told that we have to take actions that conflict with those values. One example would be how to protect our liberties we must sometimes restrain those liberties during treacherous times. However, the ultimate question is whether or not going against the very values we stand for is a hypocritical and wrongful action plan. Bruce Springsteen approaches this very issue in his song “Devils & Dust”, from the CD with the same title, and he subtly criticizes how the United States is betraying its values.
Terrorism will happen again regardless of how prepared the U.S. thinks it may be. This means that it is the country’s job to ensure that there is a continuation of measures that should be taken to fight against terrorism. Others believe that the U.S. is fully prepared for another terrorist attack and that enough has been done. The question at hand is, should the U.S. still be concerned about terrorism. The United States needs to be concerned about terrorism to prevent tragedies like 9/11 from happening again, to address problems with domestic terrorism, and to improve homeland security.