Obama and Bush in the Iraq war Essay

On April 11, 1991, the disconnect struggle ended with a cease fire that was negotiated between the joined States and its associate and Iraq. A policy of containment was maintained by the linked States and its allies to contendfareds Iraq. This policy encompassed various economic sanctions by the joined Nations Security Council, the enforcement by the joined States and United Kingdom of Iraqi no flying zones and inspections to block Iraq from developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. In October 1998, the United States official policy to state of warfared Iraq became politics change with the enactment of the Iraqi liberation act.The act provided for the handing over of Iraq to a democracy following the withdrawal of United Nations weapons inspectors. This legislation merely did non correspond with the terms that were set out in United Nations Security Council Re solving 687 which basically focused on weapons and weapons programs and made no mention of change of regi me. The United States and the United Kingdom launched the Operation defect Fox one month after the Iraq pouch Act was passed. The principle behind the campaign was to restrict the ability of ibn Talal Husseins governmental relation to produce chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.On the other hand, United States topic security personnel hoped that the exercise would weaken ibn Talal Husseins beguile on power. With the election of bush-league as the United States president in 2000, the United States became actively inclined toward the policy of regime change in Iraq. The Republi lavs campaign became prior to the elections called for complete implementation of Iraq Liberation Act and the ousting of Saddam. The assault of Iraq may deem been proposened since the origin with the setoff National security meeting discussing the onslaught (Hamilton, 2004).However, there atomic number 18 besides claims that the National Security Council discussions were a continuation of C lintons giving medications foreign policy. However, little formal step was made by the pubic hairs memorial tablet toward impingement despite its stated come to in liberating Iraq until the September 11, 2001 attacks on the twin towers. The rationale behind the invasion of Iraq after the 9/11 attacks has been misgivinged as there was little to insinuate that Saddam had any cooperation with Al Qaeda. Shortly after the attack, President shrub announced the new war on bratism which was backed by the doctrine of preemptive military action.Why Bush Started the War The Bushs electric pig considered Saddam Hussein to be a study(ip)(ip) distraction and curse non only to the Statesn security exactly to a fault to world-wide peace. As such, the only way to guarantee the global stability and peace was by ousting Saddams regime. The ecesis believed that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction and thus rushed to mortify the country before they could fire any weapon. The o rganization also believed that Saddam was a major sponsor of terrorists and with the 9/11 attacks, the American population were thirsting for almost form of action.The electorate of the United States was skillfully confident(p) that the best solution to the problem of terrorism was to get Saddam Hussein. As such, the main curtilage that was given by the Bushs administration as a justification for the invasion was the Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. new(prenominal) reasons were that Saddam back up terrorism and held the people of Iraq captive. Another primary motive which was however not stated with friendship to the invasion of Iraq was the consolidation of oil resources in Iraq (Holtz spell, 2006).A report which was commissioned before the September attacks by Dick Cheney indicated unequivocally identifies Iraq as the main destabilizing form to the ply of oil to the international markets from the fondness East. The report also indicated that Saddam had expresse d a willingness to affrighten to go for the oil weapon and to use his own export program to influence and manipulate oil markets. Iraq was a destabilizing influence to global oil flow from the Middle East and therefore United States military intervention was fateful (Moore, 2004). Within the American grand design for the world, oil plays a major role.The Middle East id the only place that is capable of satisfying the submit for oil as it contains the worlds largest reserves. An increase in the choose for oil was conceived by the Bush administration as inevitable, and Iraq was a stumbling block. The invasion was thus necessary for the United States to guarantee its energy needs. By securing a strategic position in the Gulf region through establishing a friendly and compliant government in Iraq, the United States will not only manage check the OPEC plainly also influence the involve of other global powers.Why Obama is against the war correspond to Obama, Iraqs invasion without any clear rationale and without strong international support had the content to lead to instability not only in Iraq but also in the Middle East (Ambinder, 2007). The invasion, according to him, would fuel sectarist warfare. The Sunnis, having been authorize by Saddam, were likely to discover that they were the targets of Shia radicals who sought for r levelge for the way that they were treated and power to control Iraqs future.Iraqs insurgency will thus be inspired, not only by the desire to kill the Americans but also by the ambition to be in power when the United States leaves. Obama also debate the war because he envisioned a shoes whereby the attacks would increase leading to the death of more American young people. The diversity between Obama and Bush with think to Iraqi war became clear in 2007. The year marked a critical turning point in the war in Iraq. It was during this period that Iraq sunk into a state of tyke sectarian chaos with three thousand civilians dying every month.It was also during this period that the American people lost hope in the war and were thus prepared to bring the troops back to America. However, instead of let the soldiers go back to America, a move that was favored by some(prenominal) Republicans and Democrats, Bush ordered a troop surge to ease the rage, demolish al Qaeda in Iraq and set the stage for governmental reconciliation. Obama had more to say concerning this issue, predicting that the surge would not be effective (Stone, 2009). Obama was not convinced that the twenty thousand additional troops would not solve the sectarian craze in Iraq. accord to him, the effect will instead be reversed (Obama, 2002). This move, in his view, would not solve the long term political strife between the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq. Obama believed that strategic refutation is a much more preferable approach to the entire war, an vagary that many people seem to agree with. He opposed the war on the premise that t he United states did not know how much it was passing play to cost, what the exit system would be and how the invasion itself will affect the family relationship of the United States with the rest of the world.Again, he doubted the soundness of the American intelligence and held that capturing store Laden ought to live been the priority. Obama mat that because Al Qaeda had not been displace to rest, it may act as distraction. Obama conceived of the invasion of Iraq unwise use of the military. According to him, the invasion brought more problems than solutions as more and more money was world used, more American soldiers were being killed and Al Qaeda had grown stronger.With regard to the reduction of the surge due to the deployment of more troops, Obama felt that it the reduction of violence was mainly as a result of the sacrifice by the soldiers. According to Obama, the Bush administrations judgment concerning the length of the war, the conception of America by the Iraqis a s the liberator and the view that there was no history of violence between the Shiite and the Sunni were all wrong. Obama referred to the war in Iraq as a insidious distraction. His view is that central front in the war on terror was never Iraq but the terrorist themselves.As such, his position is that the terrorists should be attacked directly. His new strategy has therefore been to directly fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His first priority has been to end the war in Iraq as he had opposed it from the onset. With his position that the war in Iraq was unnecessary, Obama has made it his responsibility to redeploy the United States combat troops that propel Iraqi leaders toward a political solution, rebuild the military and refocus on Afghanistan and broader American security interests.His plan is to remove the combat brigades from Iraq by 2010 and to send additional combat brigades to Afghanistan. The valuey of Iraqi war Assessing the outlay of Iraq war requires that one reflects upon whatever would make believe happened in the Bush administration would substantiate not bygone to war in March 2003. There is no secret concerning the things that shoot gone wrong ever since the United States invaded Iraq but it cannot also be sour that everything would have gone right if the United States had not invaded Iraq.It is a point that there was a heavy casualty which does not go rise with the American public. However, there is need to address what the alternative to war would have meant. Many people agree that Saddam was not the best leader. Other individuals like Madeleine Albright compared him to Hitler, a comparison that cannot be far from the truth in many respects. Saddam had contempt for human life, killing thousands of his own citizens beside laboured and butchering his neighbors. It may therefore be argued that removing such a man from power was worth some sacrifice.A more intriguing question is however whether the failure of the United S tates to go to war with Iraq in 2003 would have produced a lasting peace or would have postponed war. It may be said that Saddam would have pushed toward confrontation and war regardless of what mogul have been done. He brutally and patiently pushed his way to power in Iraq after which he impatiently and brutally made himself the dominant enter in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. In all these instances, he employed war and the threat of war as his principal tools.In short, Saddam was in every conceivable way a threat not only to his people but also to world peace. However, some individuals have argued that even though Saddam posed a threat to world peace and stability, he would have been contained through sanctions and no-fly zones which would have acted as deterrence (Hunt, 2008). This argument was advanced even before the war even with the belief that he had weapons of mass destruction. For the majority of Americans, the question of whether the war was worth fighting revolv es around whether the weapons of mass destruction were recovered or not.However, the major issue is whether Saddam could have been contained. Even though the war in Iraq has remained unpopular, the Iraqi people can claim some success with regard to the introduction of democracy. With the help of the United States, the Iraqi people have been flourishing in establishing the first Arab democracy. This is a major achievement with regard to the war on terror and for the purpose of liberty. The different ethnic and religious groups can now work together in a national army.They have made important steps in repossessing their country from the insurgents that have invaded their homeland. The Iraqi troops are solely responsible for clearing the Basra and Sadr City. The oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein was ousted. Conclusion The main difference between Obama and Bush on Iraq war lies in the objective of the invasion. The bushs administration saw it as a war against terrorism while Obama fe lt that there were better ways of fighting terrorism rather than incursive Iraq. A sensible argument for the invasion was not that Saddam was almost to attack anyone with a nuclear bomb.It was that the preservation of containment would nit have been indefinite and that Saddam was defying the international community repeatedly and that this defiance seemed to both the Clinton and Bush administration to be succeeding gradually. It may therefore be argued that if the Bush administration would have not gone to war then the United States would have faced a more daring and dangerous Saddam Hussein. References Ambinder, M. (2007, April 21). Obamas Iraq evolution. National Journal, 39(16), 79-80. Retrieved on March 29, 2009 from EBSCO host database. Hamilton, W. (2004, April 17).Bush began to plan war three months after 9/11. The Washington Post, p. A01. Holtzman, E. (2006). The impeachment of George W. Bush A handbook for concerned citizens, New York Nation Books. Hunt, T. (2008. March 18). Bush Iraq war worth it. The Huffington Post, Moore, J. (2004). Bushs war for reelection Iraq, the pureness House, and the people. John Wiley Obama, B. (2002, October). Barrack Obamas 2002 speech against the Iraq war. Retrieved on April 23, 2009, Responsibly ending the war in Iraq. (n. d. ). The White House. Stone, M. (2009, May 9). Bush 2007 v. Obama 2009? The Global Buzz. Retrieved on March 29, 2009,