The War in Iraq

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on the US involvement in the war in Iraq and, in particular, examines the viewpoints taken by journalists Stephen Biddle in "Seeing Baghdad, Thinking Saigon" and Matt Taibbi in "The Chicken Doves". The paper looks at how each author expresses his views on the war differently even though both agree that the war is a failed policy. The paper goes on to show how Biddle's approach is to professionally build a case that, while the Bush approach to winning the war is like the one used in Vietnam, it is not working and cannot work. The paper contrasts this to Matt Taibbi's article where he uses profanity and propaganda to show how angry he is that the Democrats were not able to stand up to Bush and cut off funds for the war.

Outline:
Facts
Stephen Biddle
Matt Taibbi
Outline
Summary of Rrticles

From the Paper:

"When a knowledgeable person hears the statement "the war in Iraq," most informed observers now see that there is a civil war in Iraq between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims. This is a bitter ethnic rivalry that has existed for centuries. The Kurds are another ethnic minority in this stew. It is also clear that there are numerous al Qaeda extremists in Iraq that have been recruited, trained, and sent to Iraq to kill Americans and conduct terrorist-style suicide bombing incidents that slaughter and maim scores of innocents.
"This paper is focused on the American's five-year involvement, during which the true cost of the war approaches $2 trillion (health care for injured; interest on money borrowed to finance the war), over 4,000 U.S. troops have died, and unknown tens of thousands of Iraqis have perished. An opinion poll by CBS News (March 15-18, 2008) (www.pollingreport.com) reflects that 65% of American adults "disapprove" of the way George W. Bush is handling the war. Some 59% say the U.S. "should have stayed out..." of Iraq in the first place."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Biddle, Stephen. "Seeing Baghdad, Thinking Saigon." Foreign Affairs 85.2 (2006): 2-14.
• Taibbi, Matt. "The Chicken Doves." Rolling Stone Issue 1046 (2008): 37-39.

More papers on The War in Iraq:

• Analytical Essay # 90223 : "The War in Iraq"
• Analytical Essay # 139215 : "The War in Iraq: Costs and Consequences"
• Analytical Essay # 110958 : "The War in Iraq and US Policy"
• Analytical Essay # 90998 : "The U.S. Media and the War in Iraq "

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