The Iraq war commonly known as Operation Iraqi Freedom is a continuous tug of war that can be traced back to March 2003. The invasion was led by the United States and United Kingdom troops with backup support from Denmark, Australia, and Poland. The main cause of this war which was proposed by the United States President George W. Bush and the United Kingdom former Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of the coalition was that Iraq was said to be manufacturing deadly nuclear weapons intending to cause massive destruction in contravention with the 1991 agreement. The invasion was also intended to permanently terminate Saddam Hussein’s abuse of human rights and terrorism and finally set free the Iraqi people. It was therefore argued that this being the case Iraq was a threat to the United States as a country, its people and interests, and the whole world in general. However, when the United Nations inspectors carried out a thorough inspection no weapon was found as alleged.
The survey group confidently concluded that Iraq had ended all its deadly weapon programs in1991 and that the allegations had no ground. Allegations of a collaborative relationship between the then President of Iraq Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda group were brought forward although no concrete evidence was ever presented to back the allegations. According to officials, the invasion was also due to raised concern over Iraq’s financial support to families of Palestinian suicide bombers. The Iraq government was also accused of contravening human rights by engaging in acts that are against humanity. The Iraq military was overthrown during the invasion and President Saddam Hussein was captured and was detained to face trial for the murder of 148 Iraqis after a failed assassination attempt against him. Saddam was found guilty of crimes against humanity and was sentenced to death by hanging. Saddam was executed in 2006. It was a jubilee in the city of Baghdad as relieved residents celebrated the collapse of the 24-year tyranny rule by Saddam Hussein. It was then that the United States coalition attempted to establish a democratic government, which did not last as violence broke among various groups leading to civil war. The civil war caused the deaths of approximately more than 1million people and the financial cost is said to be $9 billion to the UK and $845 billion to the US. It is then that members of the coalition decided to withdraw their troops as pressure from the public mounted on them to withdraw the troops.
Reports indicate that since the Iraq invasion in 2003 approximately 500 deadly weapons have been recovered. It is believed that some chemicals used in the manufacture of deadly weapons still exist although they are damped. Germany and France were opposed to the invasion against Iraq stating that there was no substantial evidence of the existence of massive destruction weapons and that the attack would be unfairly initiated. Before the invasion, there were worldwide protests against the war including a 3 million people rally, which was entered in The Guinness Book of Record as the largest ever anti-war rally. Most of the troops that participated in the invasion were provided by the United States with backup support from the Kurdish. This war sparked a reaction worldwide with some people supporting the invasion while others supported Germany and France in condemning the initiation of war. Some people argued that although the war was directed at Saddam Hussein, innocent people suffered thus the war was not justified. Others felt that President Bush should have used other means to end Saddam Hussein’s tyranny rule, as the war would encroach the country’s economy.
On the other hand, some people felt that freedom could not be attained freely and therefore the ultimate price had to be paid to get the freedom. Others felt that the UN had been given enough time to intervene and change the situation in Iraq but they did not do much thus the US and the British were justified to initiate war to protect the rest of the world. The war, the bombings, looting, and sanctions now characterize the normal day the day life in Iraq. The infrastructure is destroyed and the country’s economy is in a poor state. Although quite a large sum of money has been pledged for the reconstruction, these efforts are frustrated by the frequent attacks and diversion of some funds to cover security costs, which are now on the rise. Iraq lacks a proper sanitation system with only 32% being able to access clean drinking water and only 19% accessing proper sewage system. The reconstruction process is estimated to cost above$55 billion. The Iraqis, therefore, depend on the food donations given. Prices have since risen although the wages equally have risen. The pressing factor however is unemployment, which is still very rampant. This Muslim country has on average 29 million inhabitants. The international community, which has supported Iraq in all means, is now watching to see how far the country goes in terms of reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Works Cited
Rai Milan. War Plan Iraq. Verso Disarmament, 2002.
Ritter Scott, Seymour Harsh M. Iraq Confidential. IB Tauris, 2005.
Murray Willliamson, Robert Scales H. The Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2003.