The relations between Iraq and the U. S continued to deteriorate after the gulf war in 1991, otherwise known as the Operation Desert Storm. The former allies became enemies. This was also the case between Iraq and the United Nations. The U. N laid sanctions in Iraq, and this did not go well with the leaders in Iraq. The U. N even provided funds for democratic organizations that were opposed to the regime that was in power then, – that of Saddam Hussein. The motive was to have Saddam Hussein ousted from power.
It was then that Iraq was prohibited from manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. However, by 1998 suspicions were rife that Iraq was not heeding the admonition and calls for arms inspection and consequent disarmament became louder and louder with the U. S calling the loudest. These calls reached fever pitch after the September eleven attack on the U. S. and the Bush administration declaration of war on terror moved the focus on the Osama Bin Laden’s terror network – Al Qaeda as well as Saddam Hussein and Iraq.
The war against Iraq was perpetrated by the United States of America (U. S) and the United Kingdom (U. K) with the United Nations (U. N. ) playing passive and reluctant role. The attack has provoked protests all over the globe including in the US and the UK with many groups as well as individual condemning the attack and terming it as unwarranted. Furthermore, the attack was carried out without the approval of the Security Council. The attack has earned the US more foes than friends especially in the Muslim world.
It has also served to fuel animosity against America’s efforts to institute a democratic government in those who view these efforts as interferences in the affairs of the country as a denial of Iraq’s sovereignty . This has led to rebellion against the authorities in Iraq as well as increasing the threat of terrorist attack on America. With the benefit of hindsight it is now common knowledge Bush and his close associates misled the public to believe that there were some justifiable reasons for the war. However this has clearly emerged that some of the proponents of the war had political agenda.
This paper evaluates the “War in Iraq” and the persons responsible for the fueling of this war. Justifications for going to war The Bush administration gave three main reasons for the invasion. This was done to get support from the American Public as well as the senate. The congress was also required to formally endorse the decision. The Security Council had earlier refused to allow the invasion citing lack of evidence that The WMD actually existed (Rodin, 50). Due to the controversy that surrounded the issue the Bush and company felt they needed to garner support both locally and internationally.
They thus made every effort to doctor all reports and evidence in order to convince the World. Some of the reasons given included: i) Possession of weapons of mass destruction. This was one of the main reasons given to justify the invasion. The alleged weapons included: biological, chemical as well nuclear weapons. They were supposedly manufactured in secret plants and facilities within Iraq. The fact that weapons inspectors had not found any substantial evidence to support the claim did not dissuade Bush and his associates.
Evidence was created where none existed and finally amidst internal and external opposition, the U. S Invaded Iraq in 2003. ii) Alongside the weapons allegations, it was also contended that President Saddam Hussein had close links with Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda network which was a responsible for the September 11th attack. However, the Sept. 11 commission reported on June 17, 2004 that even though the contact was there, no evidence of cooperation could be found (Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank, 4).
iii) The other reason was that the attack was welcomed by the Iraqis. These allegations came from intelligence sources that Bush and his administration had set up in the Pentagon. The facilitators of war Those who fueled the invasion of Iraq were senior officials in the Bush administration. They were namely Paul Wolfowitz who was once the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the regional programs, Dick Cheney, who is the Vice President of the U. S, Scooter Libby, Douglas Feith, Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, and Abram Elliot among others.
These neo-conservatives used their access to the National Security system as a weapon against those people who had different opinions about their courses of action. They are said to have abused their powers because they went ahead with their operations with neither proper investigations nor thorough consultations. Those whose opinions differed from the above mentioned officials were silenced, an example of this being the disclosure of the identity of Valerie Plame, a C. I. A agent who performed her duties undercover. What prompted her disclosure was her husband’s challenge to the Bush administration.
The former diplomat had challenged the claims that Iraq had bought uranium from an African country, Niger to be precise. Valerie’s contacts and associates had their lives endangered in a sense that she would have been treated as a spy. This action made it clear that there was a punitive motive behind it. The Vice President Dick Cheney had a hand in the disclosure and this was done with the full knowledge of other senior officials in Bush’s administration. It has been proven that there was lack of accuracy and reliability in this administration.