War in Iraq War on Terror

Paper Summary:

In this paper the author argues that the war in Iraq was utilized as a persuasive tool to win an election, in which the war was linked to the more global and less definable "war on terrorism." The author further contends that in the 2004 presidential elections the voters were seeking security, and therefore they linked the two issues. This paper demonstrates that the war on terror and the war in Iraq are not connected and in fact contraindicated for the long term safety of the US, specifically with regard to future acts of terrorism. Salient quotes from primary and secondary sources are used to support the author's thesis.

From the Paper:

"The importance and reality of this link are now being questioned at every level. People, in both high and low places are questioning the validity of the connection and asking if this aggressive move, on the part of the US, even in the face of much international opposition was in fact appropriate to improve security in the US and her interests all over the world. The political positioning that has become increasingly obvious has undermined the faith of individuals in the nature and necessity of the War in Iraq, as people feel they were sold a bill of goods, rather than leveled with in regards to the strategic importance of the Iraq in the global war on terrorism in both the short and log term. In fact this work argues that the only connection between the war on terrorism and the War on Iraq is that the later has and will continue to serve to increase terrorist activities and actions against the US, no matter how the government spins it."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ackerman, Spencer. "War in Iraq 2003-??: The Pentagon Had No Intention of Staying in Iraq Forever. but the White House Won't Answer a Simple Yes-or-No Question about Permanent Bases, and the Situation Keeps Getting Worse. So Pentagon Brass Are Planning-And Building-For the (Very) Long Haul." The American Prospect, November 2006, 17.
• "American Policy and Islam; Attack on Iraq Will Hurt War on Terrorism." The Washington Times, 18 March 2002, A19.
• Cohn, Marjorie. "Understanding, Responding to and Preventing Terrorism." Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ) (2002): 25.
• Cook, Robin. "The View from Inside; They Looked for Weapons of Mass Destruction, and All They Found Was Lots of Marmalade. but George Bush and His Team Didn't Care: After 11 September 2001, They Saw International Terrorism Not as a Threat, but as an Opportunity to Attack Iraq." New Statesman, 3 May 2004, 34.
• Jones, Lucy. "European Editorialists Question Whether War on Terrorism Should Be Expanded to Iraq." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January-February 2002, 26.

More papers on War in Iraq War on Terror:

• Argumentative Essay # 47631 : "War in Iraq"
• Persuasive Essay # 115834 : "The War on Terror; The War in Iraq"
• Term Paper # 96789 : "War in Iraq"

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