We are entering our sixth year of war in Iraq. We have exceeded $512 billion in war expenditures, and more than one million Iraqis have been killed. You would expect people to pay attention when the stakes are this high, but they don’t.
President George W. Bush’s administration invaded a sovereign nation on trumped-up charges. They suspended the writ of habeas corpus (which allows for a trial by a jury of peers) and engaged in illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens. They engaged in torture in many different forms and detained innocent civilians for years at a time. And U.S. citizens hardly noticed, except for the little yellow ribbons on their cars.
It was the deaths of more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq that eventually reversed public opinion of the war, and of Bush. Nevertheless, our government continues to march on to the beat of the war drum. They have made no troop withdrawals from Iraq, and no fundamental adjustments to our military strategy. And now they want to start another war.
To learn more, consult any cable news station; it will tell you exactly what the Bush administration wants you to think. Iran is our new enemy, and they pose a serious threat to the United Statesand the world. They developing nuclear weapons. They hate Israel. They support terrorism. They could start World War III.
But don’t check the facts unless you want to be very disillusioned.
A recent U.S. intelligence report concluded that Iran shut down its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that it is not clear that they are dedicated to developing nuclear weapons. It also says that Iran seems to be responsive to diplomatic pressure. However, White House officials maintain that Iran is a serious threat and refuses to engage in diplomatic negotiations with the country.
It is possible that Iranian officials plan to develop nuclear weapons. Given the United States’ penchant for aggressive activity, it might be wise for them to do so. The Iranian government claims that its nuclear program will be used strictly to create energy.
Even if officials are lying, these intentions do not constitute grounds for war. The Bush administration’s rhetoric simply does not make sense, given the facts and its stated interests.
A quick review of the Iraq war model might clear up the confusion.
First, the Bush administration talks a lot about imminent danger and convinces the public that the country in question is a serious threat to us. Nuclear weapons and terrorists are used as scare tactics.
Then, the administration labels members of the foreign government despots or terrorists. If the label sticks, the United States doesn’t have to engage in diplomatic talks and can move straight to military force.
Although the “dangerous” country’s government might be willing to compromise. The Bush administration wants to go to war. The war or military strike causes uncertainty in the market, and oil prices skyrocket.
Then, U.S. contractors move into the smoldering rubble of what was once a sovereign nation and take control of its valuable resources.
In the aftermath, the Bush administration takes credit for ridding the world of a cruel and corrupt government.
Wow. It all seems so simple when Bush casts it in terms of good and evil.
We should be asking why the administration is so intent on casting Iran as a threat and an enemy. All of Bush’s rhetoric and actions have only served to strengthen the hostile relationship.
However, their interests are not the interests of U.S. citizens.
It is time that our leaders looked out for the interests of its citizens, instead of the interests of war profiteers and oil companies. It is time to bring our soldiers home. And it is time to stop the wars of aggression and the colonization of the Middle East.
John Nolan is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
