Combating Insurgency, or Imperialized Combat?

A day that will live in infamy. December 7, 1941. The first time the United States had been attacked since 1812. And after that time, the United States had entered the general mentality that we would be forever untouchable. Who could hurt us? We were across the world. How could we be invaded? And then we were attacked. In one of the most surreal and completely destructive ways, we were attacked. But, unlike the previous two times we were attacked, we had no idea really where it came from. Great Britain attacked us in 1812 and Japan attacked us in 1941. Yet we had no idea, for a short time, who had attacked us.

And then we found out. Al-Qaeda had attacked the United States of America. Rather than a nation, our enemy had become a group. And we had entered the War against Terrorism. The War on Terror. But, the interesting thing was, how did we go to war against a terrorist cell? How do we war against a group of people that hates us, that travels between the borders of different countries, and can appear and then disappear in a blink of an eye?

When President Bush requested permission to attack Afghanistan because it was believed that was where Osama bin Laden was, America supported the war. Close to 90% of people supported the war in Afghanistan because that was where Al-Qaeda had much of their strength. After so many years, the choice to go into Afghanistan is still one that I support completely.

Then the next step in President Bush’s War on Terror came: An invasion of Iraq. And this is where my support for the War on Terror disappeared. We invaded Iraq because it was believed that there were WMDs and we were led to believe there were. Do I think there were? I think that there might have been. Do I think that it was worth going to war over?

I think that there are far better ways to get rid of weapons of mass destruction. If America had proof that Saddam Hussein was creating weapons of mass destruction, they should have sent in a jet or a SEAL team and destroyed what they were building. It was not worth invading. There was no reason to invade. And that is why I don’t agree with this war. It could have been done another way.

So, why did we invade Iraq then? Perhaps President Bush wanted to show his Father that he could do something really good. Bush Sr. had been around during Operation Desert Storm and now Bush Jr. was going to show the world that, during his Presidency, they could win the war. Even when the UN said “No war,” Bush said, “We’re going in.” Once again, I see no reason for it. All we’ve got from it are 4000+ soldiers killed and an unknown number of them injured. And this was for what? A war on terror?

A war on terror is a war against a group of people, not a nation. We invaded Afghanistan because that was our way of destroying Al-Qaeda. It was an effective way and, because it was known that the Taliban supported Al-Qaeda, it went hand in hand with our war against terror. According to the CIA Report in 2004 (one of many reports), there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian high ranking member of Al-Qaeda. The 2005 CIA report went as far as to say that Saddam’s regime, “did not have a relationship, harbor, or even turn a blind eye toward Mr. Zarqawi and his associates.” All the reports say is that Iraq supported the Palestinian efforts against Israel. I don’t really think that this constitutes as a nation to invade. So, was it a war on terror or was it a personal vendetta?

I support a war on terror. I support attacking and destroying those that was us destroyed. However, I do not support lying to the people of America to go to war against a personal enemy. Saddam Hussein may have hated America, but he was no threat to the United States of America. I support attacking nations that are funding and harboring terrorists that are threatening America. I do not support personal vendettas.

A war on terror? Or was this a war for Bush? The way I see it, Bush had no reason to go into Iraq. If this is a War on Terror, keep it to a War on Terror and stay away from a War Against Your Father’s Failures.