The positive sides of the US deployment in Iraq
In this article Joseph D’Agostino argues that the situation in Iraq can be improved if the US troops continue their deployment in the country. He discusses several aspects: first, he emphasizes that the clashes between coalition forces and the locals have considerably reduced. His major argument is that sporadic acts of terrorism should not be regarded as a threat to the stability in this region (D’Agostino, unpaged). The author believes that the Governing Council of Iraq represents the nations true interests and that it is rapidly acquiring influence. Moreover, this council is currently responsible for appointing ministers and representing the state on the international stage (D’Agostino, unpaged). Joseph D’Agostino sets stress on the fact that the majority of Iraqi towns have established their local governments and that functioning of the infrastructure stabilizes.
The major objective of this article is to show that the presence of the US forces is essential at this point of the Iraqi history. Provided that there would be no outside supervision the country will collapse into total chaos and feud. Furthermore, the journalist emphasizes the idea that that post-war Iraq is developing at a much quicker pace than it was with other countries for example, Germany (D’Agostino, unpaged). Joseph D’Agostino acknowledges the losses of the United States but at the same time he claims that withdrawal of troops would result only in further bloodshed. This article advocates the belief that democratization of Iraq must not be left underway because it can lead to another conflict which can be much more perilous to the United States. On the whole, Joseph D’Agostino thinks that putting an end to this war is necessity rather than luxury. Nevertheless, it should be taken into account that this article was written six years ago and since that time Iraq has made any considerable progress on its path towards recovery.
The costs of war and its adverse consequences
This article is written by Bryan Bender who claims that the US troops should be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible. He does not focus on moral side of this question; instead the author discusses the financial costs of this military conflict. According to his approximate estimations, American government has already spent more than 2 billion dollars per month and this number will only increase in the future (Bender, unpaged). Although it is not explicitly stated, the author suggests that these assets can be used more effectively in other areas. In addition to that, he points out that the initial estimations, made by the government were not correct and that costs are much higher. Judging from this work, it is quite possible to come to the conclusion at this point the attempts of the US forces lead only to losses both civil and financial, which only aggravates the situation for American citizens (Bender, unpaged). It should be borne in mind that this analysis was carried out two three ago, which means that at the present moment, the net expenditures have only increased. Apart from that, the journalist says that the US allies are also reluctant to continue this struggle, which shows that in the future America will have to rely only on its own resources. He does not want to express his view on the moral side of this problem. Yet, his presentation of facts suggests that it might be reasonable for the US government not to interfere into the Iraq and give these people autonomy. The thing is that democratization of Iraq has proved too costly for the United States.
Works Cited
D’Agostino, Joseph A, “Defense department highlights positives in Iraq.” Human Events. FindArticles.com. Web.
Bender B. “Cost of Iraq war nearly $2b a week”. The Boston Globe, 2006.