Casey+R.

__Cause of the Invasion of__ __Iraq__ On March 20, of 2003, the [|United States of America and its allies declared war] on terrorism and a nation of Iraq. The invasion that followed has created speculation about whether or not the war is justified. There are four common themes to support the decision to invade. They are, the fear of Iraq developing weapons of mass destruction, stopping terrorism, freedom of the Iraqi people, and the oil located in Iraq. These are not the only reasons but they seemed to be the most popular. First, the United States government believed that the government of Iraq had the ability to create weapons of mass destruction. American public was led to believe that it was likely these weapons could be used against any country that became an enemy of Iraq. The public was also told that the Iraqi government had already used the chemical weapons against its own people during a civil war. It seemed reasonable that if Saddam Hussein used these weapons against his own people he would surely use them on us. The United States government also revealed satellite pictures of missiles and chemical weapon arsenals to justify the decision to invade. Second, since there was such great fear and sadness caused by the September 11th attacks, retaliation seemed very logical. So soon after the tragedy of September 11th many believed the invasion would prevent or shrink the possibility of another attack. At the same time, most countries increased security at airports and other public places as a measure against further terrorism. Surely invading such a hostile country would be our best defense. The invasion was called Operation Iraqi Freedom. The title of the invasion describes the third justification for the war in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a tyrannical ruler who would use the lives of his own people to promote himself. George Bush was convinced that the only solution for freeing the Iraqi people was to over throw Hussein’s evil government. Invasion using collation forces was the answer. The collation forces enlisted countries that were also afraid of Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. Although many Iraqis welcomed the collation, there was a substantial number that [|protested the invasion]. Many did not like having Americans in their homeland, but others allowed the collation to proceed hoping that it would promote their individual civil rights. The fourth reason that the United States and its collation forces invaded Iraq was Iraq’s large oil reserve. In the early parts of the invasion, the oil fields were ignited in flames to slow the invaders. There was a fear that Iraq, throughout its actions, could control most of the world’s oil. The invasion would help Iraq bring more of its wealth to the citizens by helping them develop this valuable product. The United States also had an interest in continuing the flow of oil from Iraq. Our economy relies on oil in many ways. A disruption in the price of oil would have a negative effect on our lives too. This was another good reason to invade Iraq. So far, the war has cost about $500 billion, killed tens of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,000 American soldiers. When the war started more than 70% supported the decision of President Bush when he first declared war, now, five years later, roughly the same amount of people regret the decision to Invade Iraq. It is true the end of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein has made the world a safer place. It is unclear whether or not the Iraqi people have begun to realize any benefit from this invasion. According to George Bush, "There's an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it.” It is clear to him, “Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight America can and must win." (www.npr.com) and President bush also says "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable." (www.npr.com) Looking back and knowing what we know now, it is easy to form conclusions. Looking ahead without the knowledge of experience, it is much harder to make the very same decision. The devastation of war has changed the lives of many. It has even changed the world for the future children to come. It will go down in their history books forever because this is such a meaningful part to our lives. The end results of the invasion of Iraq are yet to be seen. The only thing certain is that it has changed the world forever. Only time will tell history what the right decision should have been.

__Works Cited__ code code code code code code code __ andrewstern.net __. Apr. 2005 . code code code code code code Khaleel, Abu. "Ehy did America Invade Iraq ?" __www.Blogger.com__. 15 May 2005. 5 Mar. 2006 code code http://iraquna.blogspot.com/2005/05/why-did-america-invade-iraq.html. code Palast, Greg. __www.skeptically.org__. 10 Apr. 2005 .

code code code Raz, Guy. "On War Anniversary, Bush Sees Victory in Iraq." __www.npr.org__. 19 Mar. 2008 code code . code code code code code code __ youtube.com __. 22 Sept. 2005 . code