The US Invasion Of Iraq And Just War Theory

Submitted By harrissheikh
Words: 2196
Pages: 9
Open Document
New Jersey Institute of Technology

The U.S. Invasion of Iraq and Just War Theory

Harris Sheikh
Hum 102
Prof. Burke
February 13, 2014

A corrupt nation can only win so many times before the lies begins to unravel and questions begins to rise. There haves been many incident throughout the history where the actions takenook by the government could be ruled unjust, yet people always tend to be blinded by the reality that stands in front of them. A war may have many reasons behind it, but for it to be considered just, but it must follow certain conditions. The U.S invasion of Iraq in 2003 completely annihilated the idea of just war and thus started a new epidemic war series that lasted for years. It was never about the fear of terrorism or being attacked by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction; it was all for the wrong intentions. The Bush administration wasere going after their own incentives, without the concern of how it’s going to impact Iraq or the people within it. The war against Iraq lasted until 2011, resulting in a complete catastrophe. Vanity Fair’s article, “The Path to War,” targeted the Bush administration and exposed the truth behind the lies that turned Americans against Iraq. It unravels the path of corruption, deception and arrogance marked by the White House, Pentagon, CIA, and other insiders. Considering the actions that the Bush Administrations took, the question really becomes whether the war was justified. In “Just War Theory” Jus Ad Bellum list a series of criteria under which the war could be considered just. The list could be split into the four following areas:; just cause, last resort, probability of success, and proportionality. To go against even one of these given conditions would violate the rights of other legitimate states and the basic rights of its citizens. US invasion of Iraq not only violated each one these areas, but the administration acted as if they were going to war in self-defense and thus they were justified in launchingit was alright for them to launch a pre-emptive strike. US invasion of Iraq was an act of deception and miscalculation resulted by the Bush administration, and it led to more dire consequences than ever expected.
The war with Iraq had begun solely due to the wrong intentions and since Iraq exposed no real threat to U.S, the war cannot be considered just. The central idea the U.S government presented to lead an invasion in Iraq was Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction and his purported links to Al- Qaeda terrorists. However, for it to be considered a factor of just cause, the presented information must be factual and eminent threat must be present. The facts they claimed were not only “discredited but deliberatelyd exaggerated” and they “knew Iraq was no threat to the US” (Hinnebusch 11). There weren’t any threat being made to US by Iraq, it was all about corruption, showing strength and power. Even if Iraq did had WMD’s, it doesn’t make it right for US to make a preemptive strike. Iraq is nowhere as strong as US army and going in a war against them would just devastate Iraq completely. The attack of 9/11 gave US the perfect excuse to deceive Americans into thinking Iraq was indeed the enemy and Saddam, a former ally of US, was in fact associated with Al Qaeda. However, all their reasons were based on strict assumption. When they couldn’t find any evidence, they blamed Saddam and stated that “failed states such as Saddam’s were a breeding ground for terrorists,” and thus they needed to attack Iraq (Burrough 5). The real priorities of US were the Al Qaeda, Afghanistan, and the Taliban, and since Iraq wasn’t associated with either one of them, the Bush administration leading an attack on Iraq wasn’t an act of retaliation or self-defense. Bush’s true purpose in wanting to get rid of Saddam could have been due to an interest in seeking political and economic benefit. Middle East has the largest
Show More

Related Documents: The US Invasion Of Iraq And Just War Theory

Going To War With Iraq

The major actor in the decision making to go to war with Iraq was President George W. Bush and Congress. After September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush was insistent about going to war with Iraq and even more so after Saddam Hussein. His reasoning was that Saddam Hussein had a part in the September 11th attacks and he also strongly believed Saddam was in the midst of making weapons of mass destruction. The President went as far as making a speech to the United Nations in which he stressed…

Words 500 - Pages 2

iraq wars Essay

Experiencing of the Great World (WWI), drove to the emergence of one League called the League of Nation by Woodrow Wilson as the architecture. Anyway, the implanting of the League of the Nation was too weak to prevent the outbreak of the Second World War; moreover, this League still could not forbid the utility of weapons that release great threat and suffering to human being. One of the most powerful International Governmental Organization that has stepped in to replace the failure of the League of…

Words 3657 - Pages 15

Iraq War Realists

America has been at war almost always in the first half of the 21st century. Loads of American soldiers were sent to the Middle East to obey President George W. Bush who wanted war at all costs. Most of the battles took place in Afghanistan. This war has been one of the longest wars throughout history especially for the United States. It started in 2001 after the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, The United Stated not only went to war against Afghanistan but against Iraq as well in 2003. In…

Words 1022 - Pages 5

Iraq War Causes

The Iraq War, which is known as the Second Gulf War, is a military action led by the United States against the regime of Saddam Hussein, the authoritarian leader of Iraq. American president George W. Bush, who announced the commencement of the war in March 2003, explained that the goals were to free the people and claimed that they had weapons of mass destruction. Many factors went into the decision of United States leaders to engage in war with Iraq in 2003. These causes can be related to various…

Words 1138 - Pages 5

Essays: Iraq War and War Child

War Child In 1999 , two young doctors – Samantha Nutt and Eric Hoskins created an organization called “War Child” . Samantha and Eric both worked in some of the world’s toughest war zones and they were committed to creating an organization that would help war-affected areas rebuild their country . War child’s main mission is to help with children that live in war-affected communities and help their childhood have an education and access to opportunities and justice . War child was formed to help…

Words 582 - Pages 3

The Pros And Cons Of The Iraq War

The United States should have not gone to war with Iraq. The Iraq War was a result of false accusations made by President George Bush to justify revenge for the terrorist attack of 9/11. He blamed not only Iraq, as an entire country, but every citizen of Muslim descent. The Iraq war only intensified the tension between the United States’ and the Middle East, instead of resolving some of our prior issues with each other. At the end of the war many American soldiers’ lives were lost as well as Iraqi…

Words 580 - Pages 3

Propaganda In War: The Invasion Of Iraq

situation within the U.S. It does a good job in outlining the whole influence propaganda has within war. It also looks at the psychological warfare the U.S. government plays on its citizens. The wars we face abroad are for the most part backed by the American people. The government continues to distort the people’s perceptions of war and uses certain events abroad to promote disinformation. The invasion of Iraq is a key example of the government manipulating certain facts in order to gain the support of…

Words 213 - Pages 1

Iraq War Failure Essay

controversial wars; the Iraq war being one of them. America went to war with Iraq to end terrorism and spread democracy; though support for the war was based on hastily made decisions and faulty evidence. This war was not just an argument between two countries, but it was between the civilians and the soldiers who were heavily involved and were impacted the most. Many wars fail to resolve perceived conflicts and leave negative effects behind and the war in Iraq is a perfect example of this. The Iraq war was…

Words 1854 - Pages 8

Canada's Role In The Iraq War

The nation of Iraq was known as a vibrant civilization, with a rich culture until the illegal war in Iraq that had changed the entire world’s view on the nation. Since, Canada did not partake in the war, like their allies the US and UK did, Canada’s relation with Iraq was neither great nor horrible. As the leader of Canada, it is in your political responsibility to restore Canada’s relations with Iraq, in order prevent another brutal war. In consideration of the foregoing, The Department of Foreign…

Words 1727 - Pages 7

Debate over Iraq War Essay

The Debate Over War with Iraq About Poll Should the United States go to war with Iraq? Yes, Iraq is a threat to the United States. Yes, if we can get UN support. No, the UN is working. No, war is wrong under any circumstances. Current Results Here is a look from 2004 about the pros and cons of war against Iraq from information available at that time. It is included here for historical purposes. The possibility of war with Iraq is a very divisive issue around the world. Turn…

Words 663 - Pages 3