In the past, The United States have been involved in many countries, in two specific examples, the Vietnam War and the Iraq Invasion of 2003. In both instances, the US had similar and different outcomes, ways of involvement and perspectives. Iraq, which was led by Saddam Hussein from 1979 to 2003, was in the United States’ radar because of the thought of the country having weapons of mass destruction and aiding Al-Qaeda. In comparison to Vietnam which had a civil war from 1955 to 1975, the two main
The invasion of Iraq by the US military in 2003 is considered as one of the most controversial actions taken by the US in modern history (Lynch and Singh, 2008, p.148). The decision to remove Saddam Hussain’s regime can be said to be motivated by many reasons and varieties of perspectives (Duffield, 2005). There is no consensus among scholars on the real motivation behind such decision but the decision to go to war can be understood from economic, ideological, political and strategic motives. The
wars; the gulf war and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The gulf war (also referred to as Persian Gulf War or Kuwait War) was a war involving military combat between Iraq and coalition forces led by United States (Hutchinson 19). Dubbed operation desert storm, the gulf war lasted from August 2, 1990 to February 28, 1991. It was one of the deadliest wars of the decade resulting into deaths of over 1,000 Kuwait civilians and 480 coalition forces. Even though the exact number of Iraq fatalities is not known
argument that has been brought up by others who believe the invasion of Iraq was illegal. However, the failed diplomatic policies of the United States are what led to the failed invasion of Iraq. George W. Bush sent an invasion to Iraq with only Congress approving his “Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002”. However, he did not have the authorization he needed from the United Nations, therefore, the invasion of Iraq was illegal. It is true that Saddam Hussein was killing
In early 2003, the threat of Saddam Hussein and the possibility of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq captured the attention and concern of the world. One nation decided to illegally act on these unsubstantiated claims, invading the country, violating the UN Charter and breaking several international laws in the process. The penalizations that were subject to the invading country, the United States, were never carried out. The United State’s role and influence over the UN and the Security Council
INTRODUCTION In this paper, I intend to analyze Iraq war of 2003 from Realist and Marxist/ Critical perspectives. I intend to draw a conclusion as to which theoretical framework, in my opinion, is more suitable and provides for a rational understanding of the Iraq War. While drawing comparative analysis of two competing approaches, I do not intend to dismiss one theory in entirety in favour of another. However, I do intend to weigh on a golden balance, lacunas of both theories in order to conclude
The Iraq war began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq known as “Iraqi Freedom Operation” by a coalition led by the United States, under the leadership of President George W. Bush against the Baath Party and the regime of Saddam Hussein. This invasion led to the rapid defeat of the Iraqi Army and resulted in the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein. Although the main goal of toppling the Saddam regime was fulfilled, violence continued, leading to proxy warfare between the U.S military
General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, explicitly declared that the United States-led war on Iraq was illegal and breached the United Nations’ charter (MacAskill & Borger, 2004). This is due to the war not having been approved or sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, nor was it in accordance with the UN’s founding charter (MacAskill & Borger, 2004). These facts beg the question; was the Iraq war a just war? More than that, was it illegal, and should the key players who drove it forward
In “Ethics and Intervention: The ‘Humanitarian Exception’ and the Problem of Abuse in the Case of Iraq, Alex Bellamy argues that war is only justified in exceptional cases where “supreme humanitarian intervention” is genuinely required (Bellamy, p. 137). Bellamy discusses the ethics of intervention and the decision of the US to invade Iraq. He provides the argument that international law does not provide moral reasoning on the issues of war. However, he acknowledges that it does provide an important
March 2003, the United States initiated a preemptive war on Iraq. This war garnered much controversy, but there were genuine reasons as to why the United States should have invaded Iraq. One reason being that Intelligence reports indicated that Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator, was aiding terrorist groups and was stockpiling weapons that were capable of mass destruction. Given Saddam Hussein's threats to “burn half of Israel”, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and the chemical weapons that Iraq used in
This analysis seeks to touch on some basic aspects of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003 that contributed to the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and how our lack of knowledge of the actual political landscape led the U.S. military to implement procedures that divided the country and created a political vacuum that encouraged the growth of Zarqawism and radical jihadi notions among the disenfranchised Iraqis. The purpose of this analysis is to shed light on the internal struggles that
The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a US-led coalition. The US wanted to destroy Saddam Hussein’s regime and bring democracy. To addition to that, US and its allies believed that Iraq had secret stocks of chemical and nuclear weapons, hence Iraq was a threat to the world (Axford 2010). In March 2003, US air bombed Baghdad and Saddam escaped Iraq. The invasion disarmed the government of Saddam Hussein. President Bush in March 2003 gave a premature
The Iraq War was an armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by the United States Military. The invasion collapsed the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. However, the war continued for a decade as an urgent situation emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the Iraqi government. It is estimated that between 150,000 to 600,000 Iraqis were killed in the first 4 years of conflict. The United States officially withdrew all US forces from Iraq in 2011 but in 2014 became involved again
air forces continued to follow and bomb the Iraqi troops, even after the retreat started. They kept killing Iraqi troops, and a Highway 8 became known as the “Highway of Death”. The Background Why did Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein invade Kuwait? In August 1988, the war between Iran and Iraq ended, but they still had to negotiate a permanent peace treaty. When their foreign ministers met in Geneva, July 1990, it looked like they finally would come to an agreement. It also looked like Saddam Hussein
announced to his Nation that America was starting a war in Iraq, in order to free the Iraqi’s. The mainstream media provided the public with a sensationalised and sanitised version of these events, requiring people to seek other media sources for an alternative view of the situation, and often finding the truth. Michael Moore released his documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” in 2004, and critiqued the Bush Administration for their unnecessary invasion of Iraq. Moore uses techniques such as voice over, associational
proficiency, and satire in order to poke fun at and inform the public about a certain issue. One famous editorial cartoonist who is known for his cartoonist is Gary Markstein. “The Iraq Surge”, one of Markstein’s lesser-known works, and the “Five years in Iraq” both deal with the Iraq War. The Iraq war was an invasion
illustrate how, and why, the US and Great Britain overestimated the military pedigree and threat of the Saddam Hussein governed Iraq. Their misperception of the situation ultimately resulted in the two superpowers combining forces and invading the Gulf state in 2003. Introduction to Misperception Theory To comprehend, and clearly explain, how the 2003 US & Great Britain invasion of Iraq can be considered an example of the misperception theory, we must first understand precisely what the misperception theory
signified a need to invade Iraq, and expressed both an urgency and obligation to do so. In the years
The Gulf War was a violent, yet necessary war that did not end the way it should have. The US’ reaction to Saddam Hussein’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait was very effective, but not complete. When Hussein conducted his invasion, it was for malicious and imperialistic reason and for this fact, it shows that the world is not safe if he remains in power of any country. This is where Operation Desert Storm, the US conducted operation to liberate kuwait, falters. After the U.S. was able to free Kuwait
United States could not find any WMDs, they attempted to justify their invasion as a humanitarian endeavor. This post-hoc justification called into question whether the Iraq War was actually a humanitarian intervention. The 2003 war represents one of the first times a group of intervening states have justified their actions citing the humanitarian outcomes that came about from non-humanitarian concerns. A major concern with the Iraq War was that the United Nation’s Security Council did not authorize