On April 9, Baghdad fell to US-led forces in 2003. While the Iraq War was officially launched in the wake of the 9/11 attack, there is still debate on why the Bush administration attacked Iraq and what did he expect from the war! This article will walk you through the pages of history and will rethink the topic of why the USA attacked Iraq.
Why USA Attacked Iraq In the First Place?
While the official reason why the USA attacked Iraq explains the Bush administration’s motive partially, it is important to look between the lines for a better understanding of why the Iraq War started!
US President, George W. Bush, in his State Of The Union in the year 2002 said that the 9/11 attack on the US is the prime reason behind the Iraq War. The Bush administration initially invaded Afghanistan to remove the increasing influence of Al-Qaeda, the Islamist extremist militant group responsible for the 9/11 attack, who were harboring undisturbed the lands of the Afghans.
But, the question then is, why did US invade Iraq? Did Al Qaeda have any influence on Iraq? While there is no proper proof behind the connections between Iraq and the Islamist extremist group, the Bush Government presumed that Iraq supported similar terrorist groups on its soil and provided them with training camps and capital support for their germination which poses harm to the global community.
Additionally, the Iraqi, Saddam Hussein’s policy of launching Weapons Of Mass Destruction added to the fears of the US Government which fuelled the attack! The US officials feared that the newly developed modern weapons of mass destruction could be shared between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist groups who might later attack the US soil.
Colin Powell, the United States Army Officer, while addressing the United Nations in the year 2003 stated that the reason the USA attacked Iraq was to protect its own soil from the terrorist countries.
President Bush also mentioned clearly that in their War Against Terror policy, they would not distinguish between the multinational terrorist groups and the countries that are providing them safe grounds for their firm establishment.
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The Not So Popular Reasons – Why Did The Iraq War Start?
Though the official reasons behind the USA-Iraq War are of prime importance, the understanding of the Iraq War would be incomplete without looking at the not-so-popular unofficial reasons behind Bush’s Government motives.
While few historians believe that the Iraq War was not about the huge oil reserves, there is enough proof that the major factor behind the Iraq War was oil.
Iraq’s huge oil reserves make it the most influential and powerful country in the Middle East, much ahead of Afghanistan and Syria, and thus, launching an attack on Iraq would catalyze fear-mongering the other countries to cooperate and support the US policy! Additionally, by attacking the world’s leading oil country, the US Government could also control the major oil reserves of the Middle East, giving the US more power and position in the global economy.
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Why Iraq Was The Prime Focus Of The Bush Army?
During Operation Anaconda in the year 2002, the US Army entered Afghanistan to fight the terrorist Al-Qaeda military group but the US was not totally satisfied with the attack on Afghanistan as the country was not as powerful. Thus, the war against Afghanistan would not serve as a catalyst to freak out other States about the increasing powers of the US military.
Thus, in the hope to showcase the power and influence of the Bush led US Government, the Army shifted its focus from Afghanistan to Iraq, which served as the perfect country to launch an anti-terrorist attack, besides Iraq being the country with a proper army and more powerful than any other country in the Middle East!
Adding to the fuel was the negative image of Saddam Hussein in the global political scenario! Saddam was seen as an oppressive dictator who never stepped away from cruelty towards his own citizens. Thus, if the US had to attack Iraq, there would be zero resistance from the global country and they could easily fulfill their desire of threatening the Middle East countries.
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Establishment Of Democracy & Project Of New American Century
The US policymakers also contributed their fair share in the USA attacked Iraq War. They consider the Iraq War as the final blow to the Gulf War! Senior policymakers such as the Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President, Dick Cheney, and the Deputy Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz were members of the Project Of The New American Century and they served as catalysts for the Iraq War. Before the 9/11 attack was launched, they influenced the Bush Government to take action against the so-called terrorist of Iraq. Moreover, they took advantage of George Bush by instigating in him a feeling of patriotism for his country. Being the heir of the Senior Bush, who launched the Gulf Of War, George Bush was fed with the idea that it is his prime duty to finish the work that was initiated by his father!
Brainwashed by the senior policymakers, George Bush in his speech stated that why did US invade Iraq had much to do with establishing democracy and law and rules in the Middle Eastern countries. The establishment of law and democracy in Iraq would also motivate other countries to opt for democracy, which would ultimately reshape the region in the colors of the US policy.
Who Won The Iraq War?
While the US Government stepped away from the Iraq War in 2011, the ISIS group regained its influence over the Iraqi region, which is a successor of Al Qaeda!
Many historians believe that the major beneficiary of the Iraq War is Iran, who in the true terms won the Iraq War as there is a rising influence of Iran on Iraq!
Conclusion
While the reason USA attacked Iraq is to topple the terrorist Government of Saddam Hussein, there is enough evidence of conflicts between Iraq and the US, during the pre-days of the 9/11 attack! Several times the UN ordered Iraq to remove and destroy its weapons of mass destruction! But after innumerable non-cooperation by the Iraq Government, the US launched a program called Desert Fox which finished off the remaining WMDs! Though later the US inspectors again visited Iraq but did not find any weapons, making them assume that Iraq was hiding weapons from them. Thus, they launched an attack on Iraq in the year 2003, which led to insurgency and disturbances in the country till today!
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