Examining the Gulf War and the Iraq War - Coursework Example

Just and Unjust War Theory: Examining both the Gulf War and the Iraq War al Affiliation Justand Unjust War Theory: Examining both the Gulf War and the Iraq War Iraq has fought two big wars in the recent past. The first war called the Gulf War, or the Persian Gulf War was fought between 1990 and 1991. The war was triggered by Sadams invasion of Kuwait, a move that angered the international community prompting a military intervention to stop Sadams aggression1. About a decade later, the U.S. and her allies, mainly Britain, invaded Iraq again (in 2003) after accusing Sadam of producing weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The later war eventually resulted in the toppling of Sadam from power and his eventual execution. However, questions have been abounding as to whether or not the U.S. involvement in the two wars was justified. On one hand, the U.S. government has maintained that the use of military force against Iraq was necessary as a means of protecting Americans from Sadams intended use of WMD against U.S. citizens. By contrast, critics have maintained that the U.S. involvement in the two Iraqi invasions were malicious and had nothing to do with the Iraqi threat to the nation. In fact, the involvement of the U.S. in the Iraq War in 2003 angered Americans to the extent that it resulted in the emergence of an anti-war movement that has pushed for total withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq. The aim of this document is to analyze the two wars by first providing a brief background of the two wars. This will be followed by examining whether or not America was justified in participating in the invasion of Iraq in both wars. Background of the Gull War (1990-91) and the Iraq War (2003) Iraq is one of the Asian countries that have fought with the Western powers twice in a span of a decade. The first war, commonly called the Gulf War broke out in 1990 following Sadams invasion of its neighboring Kuwait. Tension began after Sadam delivered a controversial speech accusing Kuwait of syphoning oil from their common borders without the approval of the Iraqi government2. A few days later, in 1990, Sadam ordered a military invasion of Kuwait with the aim of conquering its oil fields and canceling massive debt that Iraq had owed the country for years. Sadam also used the military invasion as a means of expanding Iraqi borders deep into Kuwait. Angered by the Iraqi move, Saudi Arabia, a close business partner of Kuwait called on the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) to look into the matter and intervene to save Kuwait from Iraqi forces3. The UNSC responded promptly to the request and ordered for the immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. However, Sadam defied the orders and continued with the military operation in Kuwait. In response, the UNSC imposed trade sanctions against Iraq for refusing to withdraw its troops from Kuwait. The potential threat that Iraq posed to Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest oil producer prompted the U.S. and its allies to deploy troops into Saudi Arabia to avert any attack from Iraq. Several Arab nations, including Egypt joined the U.S. allied forces by sending troops to help in the operation, christened Operation Desert Shield4. Upon noticing the move of the U.S. and its allies, Sadam decided to increase the number of its troops in Kuwait to more than 300,000 in readiness for combat. In addition, Iraq reportedly chased Kuwait soldiers and took over almost all major oil reserves in the country. The continued stay of Iraqi forces in Kuwait prompted the UNSC to order the use of military force against Sadam for not heeding to the request to withdraw its troops from Kuwait. Report indicate that by the start of 1991, anti-Iraqi allied force had increased significantly in terms of numbers and strength reaching over 700,000 troops. The U.S. troops, for instance, had reached over 540,000 making it the largest troop that had camped in readiness for combat5. Other countries that supplied troops included Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and several other anti-Iraqi nations. Despite the growing tension and imminent war, Sadam insisted on not withdrawing his troops from Kuwait. In fact, Sadam stated that the areas that the Iraqi troops had occupied would remain part of Iraqi province regardless of the move made by the international community. Such reckless statements reportedly angered the UNSC and the U.S. and its allies prompting a war. The military invasion against Iraq began in earnest on January 16, 1991 with massive bombardments of Iraq by the U.S. and its allies both in Iraq and Kuwait, where Iraqi forces had occupied. The bombardments began aerially, thus the name, Operation Desert Storm. The attacks began by dismantling Iraqi defenses through heavy bombardments6. After suppressing the Iraqi defense capabilities, the U.S. forces and its allies focused on destroying all the Iraqi communication networks, weapon sites, roads, bridges, government buildings and oil fields among others. The allied troops did this in a bid to force Sadam to surrender and withdraw its troops from Kuwait. Despite the heavy bombardments, Sadam stayed steadfast and refused to surrender to the allied forces. In fact, Iraqi troops also tried to respond by mounting strong resistance against the allied forces. With no sign of Sadam giving up, the allied forces shifted their tactics to ground and aerial attacks both in Kuwait and southern Iraq, destroying everything they could find on their way. On February 24, 1991, the anti-Iraqi forces began an offensive called the Operation Desert Sabre from Saudi Arabia into Kuwait to flush out the Iraqi troops. Reports indicate that it took the U.S. and its allied forces only three days to retake Kuwaits city that had been under the control of Iraqi forces7. A handful of Iraqi forces that had been deployed into Kuwait reportedly surrendered to the allied forces after sensing that they could not withstand the strength of the allied forces. After retaking Kuwait from Iraqi forces, the U.S. and its allies moved west of Kuwait into Iraq to continue with an offensive in the area. By February 27, the allied forces had destroyed almost all the Iraqi troops with a large number continuing to surrender to the allied forces. On February 28, the then president George W. Bush announced having brokered a cease-fire to end the war. At the time, almost the entire Iraqi forces had collapsed. Although there are no official figures of the Iraqi troops that were involved in the combat, estimates indicate that between 180,000 and 630,000 Iraqi troops were involved in the Gulf war. About the deaths, estimates indicate that between 8,000 to 100,000 Iraqi troops died in the war while about 300 allied forces also died in the war8. A handful of civilians caught in the midst of the war also died while thousands of others were displaced from their homes. Barely a decade later, the U.S. witnessed one of its biggest tragedies in history following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The terrorist attack resulted in the death of at least 3,200 people and property worth millions of dollars destroyed. The attacks took Americans by surprise prompting President Bush to start fighting terrorism. Top of his list was Sadam whom Bush accused of financing terrorists besides enriching WMD9. Therefore, in a bid to determine whether or not Sadam was indeed producing WMD and sponsoring terrorism, the U.S. sponsored a United Nations resolution that called for a called for an inspection of WMD in Iraq. The resolution prompted the UNSC to send investigators into Iraq to investigate if Sadam was indeed manufacturing WMD. Unfortunately, the UNSC provided differing opinion as to the extent to which the Sadam government had cooperated with the inspectors. However, even before the official report of the finding could be released, the U.S. and Britain issued an ultimatum that Sadam steps down from power within 48 hours or face war. President Bush also stated that, even if Sadam voluntarily leaves Iraq, the U.S. forces would still be required to stabilize the country by searching for WMD. However, when Sadam stood his ground and refused to step down as demanded by the U.S. and Britain, President Bush ordered immediate use of force against Sadam on March 17, 2003. The Iraq War ended with the toppling and execution of Sadam. The war lasted more than a year with thousands of troops from both sides perishing in the war. However, unlike the Gulf War, the Iraq War of 2003 was met with a lot of condemnation from Americans who called the war unnecessary. Although the U.S. and Britain managed to topple Sadam, the country has not known peace. Analysis of Why the Gulf War Was Justified But Not the Iraq War The rationale behind the Gulf War and Iraq War has been a debatable issue both in the U.S. and internationally. However, regardless of whether one subscribes to just-war theory or not, the event that transpired in the Gulf War clearly demonstrates that America was justified in its involvement in the Gulf War. In fact, the Gulf War has been described by experts as having been a moral victory for Americans10. According to the just-war theory proposed by Michael Walzer, the U.S. led invasion of Bagdad not only proved that Sadams actions against Kuwait were uncalled for, but also legitimized the use of force against it by the allied forces. Just-war theory is mainly divided into two components. The first component explains the justification for going into war11. The second component deals with the conduct of the combatants once involved in a war. However, in the Gulf war case, it becomes clear that the Iraqi government and its forces ignored all the considerations, thereby making the invasion of the country by the U.S. and its allies justifiable. According to the just-war theory, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is an aggression. Kuwait, just like Iraq was a sovereign nation with an autonomous government. Therefore, in case of a dispute, it was expected that Sadam would follow the right protocol of solving interstate disputes, which in this case should have been through diplomatic means. Nevertheless, Sadam ignored the diplomatic means of solving conflicts in a democratic society my resorting to the use of military force to invade an independent and sovereign nation. Additionally, even after the Sadam forces had taken over Kuwait, the collision forces led by the U.S. made all attempts possible in trying to solve the dispute between Iraq and Kuwait without resorting to war, which is in line with the just-war theory. Reports indicate that it took several days of negotiations in an attempt to persuade Sadam to withdraw his troops from Kuwait and find a better way of solving the conflict. Therefore, the U.S. and allies conducted a military invasion of Iraq only after Sadam had refused to solve the issue through diplomatic means. In fact, the U.S. and its allies only went into war with Sadam after receiving an approval from the United Nations Security Council, which is the competent authority charged with the responsibility of solving interstate disputes. As such, it becomes the U.S. and allies used military force against Iraq only as a last resort to solving the dispute. The fact that Sadam had refused all the diplomatic attempts meant that the only way the dispute could be resolved was through the military force. Secondly, the U.S. involvement in the Gulf War was just considering the atrocities that the Iraqi forces mated against the Kuwait citizens. Report indicates that, after the Iraqi forces had invaded Kuwait, they started performing atrocities of all kinds, including beating up civilians, rapid mothers, as well as destroying property. Such atrocities subjected the Kuwait civilians to prisoners in their country12. Therefore, it was not morally right for America as the worlds most powerful nation to sit back and watch citizens of a sovereign country suffer at the hands if the Iraqi forces. Therefore, the involvement of the U.S. forces was justified as a means of providing humanitarian assistance to the Kuwait civilians. In fact, after only three days of war with the Sadam forces in Iraq, the U.S. and allied forces managed to destroy the Iraqi forces in Kuwait City, thereby returning control of the country to the Kuwait government. This effectively helped restore peace and tranquility in Kuwait thereby setting stage for the development in the country. In addition, the coalitions fats response against the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait also ensured that the Kuwait citizens regain their freedom, which had been curtailed by the Iraqi forces, making the war justified. Thirdly, the U.S. involvement in the Gulf War was justified as a means of protecting its interest and many other nations in the region. Report indicates that, after Saudi Arabia had requested the United Nations Security Council to intervene in the Iraq-Kuwait conflict, Sadam began targeting Saudi Arabia as its next strike after Kuwait. The potential threat was so imminent to the extent that the U.S. and its allies could not wait until Sadam invade Saudi Arabia to respond. Any military strike against Saudi Arabia by the Iraqi forces could have caused serious economic consequences both in the region and the U.S. since Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in the world. Therefore, in the event that Sadam was left to invade Saudi Arabia, this would have affected oil supply in the world market since Sadam had curtailed oil supply from Kuwait by taking over control of all major oil reserves. Therefore, it was morally justified for the U.S. and allies to intervene in the conflict through the use of military force. The use of military force was necessary because Sadam had declined to solve the dispute through diplomatic course. In fact, the military intervention was lauded by many since it not only helped avert the invasion of Saudi Arabia by the Iraqi forces, but also helped ensure that peace and stability was restored in the region. The fact that America received backing from the United Nations Council and many other nations from the region, including Egypt meant that the U.S. followed the right procedures before resorting to the use of military force. The intervention was also a victory to Americans since it helped build strong diplomatic ties between the U.S. and several Arab countries that were opposed to Sadams invasion of Kuwait. Reports show that, after the war had begun, the focus shifted from the justification of the war to justice13. Again, from Sadams actions, it becomes clear that Sadam failed to uphold the just principles of war, thereby necessitating a military intervention from the U.S. and allied forces. For instance, reports gathered during the war showed that Sadam brutally mistreated the prisoners of war, which was a big contrast to how the coalition forces treated the Iraqi forces that were captured or surrendered during the Gulf War. In fact, the U.S. and allied forces obeyed the requirements of just-war that allows the killing of forces in combatant. Therefore, it would not be considered immoral that the coalition forces killed the Iraqi forces during the war. Moreover, the U.S. and allied forces acted cautiously to ensure that there was no use of WMD or individual assassination. Throughout the operation, the allied forces followed all the just-war requirements before, during and after the Gulf War. In contrast, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, commonly known as the Iraq War has been described as unjustified. The reasons for the war and the event during the war all violated the principles of the just-war theory advocated by Walzer. Reports indicate that the tension started to grow between the United States and Iraq in 1998 when Sadam refused to allow the UN investigators to inspect whether or not it was developing WMD14. The tension grew further following the 9/11 terrorist attacks that left more than 3,200 people dead. Although al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the attack, President Bush listed Sadam as one of the key architects of terrorism. As a result, President Bush pushed for the passage of a resolution from both the Senate and the Congress to allow the use of military force against Sadam. Although the war that began on March 17, 2003 managed to topple Sadam, it has emerged that the reasons for the U.S. involvement in the war were all falls, thereby making the Iraq War unjustified. Firstly, before going into war, President George W. Bush repeatedly said that Sadam had been manufacturing WMD. According to President Bush, Sadam had reached advanced stages in enriching WMD, which it intended to use against America and its allies. In fact, this was among the reasons why President Bush was given a node to order for the use of military force against Sadam15. Nevertheless, investigations conducted after the successful toppling of Sadam have not found any signs that Sadam was indeed producing nuclear weapons as had been alleged by the Bush administration. The UN investigators have conducted a thorough search on all possible weapon sites throughout Iraq. However, none of the reports released has linked Sadam to manufacturing of WMD. Therefore, it becomes clear that the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 violated the requirements of just-war theory, thus unjustified16. In fact, security experts have repeatedly maintained that the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was ill-motivated, unjustified and morally wrong. Secondly, the Iraq War was not justified because it resulted in the violation of human rights. According to the just-war theory, a military invasion of a country is only justified if its consequences result in just outcomes. However, this is contrary to what has occurred in Iraq since the U.S. invasion Iraq in 2003. Prior to the Iraqi invasion in 2003, President George W. Bush stated that the aim of the U.S. is to topple the autocratic regime and install a democratic regime that would uphold the rule of law17. Bush categorically stated that, even if Bush were to leave Iraq in the next 48 hours, he would still use military force to ensure that peace and democracy is established in the country. However, all these sweet sentiments appeared to have been political gimmicks aimed at obtaining approval for the war. Study conducted in Iraq shows that the security and human rights violations in Iraq have gone from bad to worse since the U.S. invasion in 2003. Security experts argue that, although Sadam was a dictator who had no respect for the rule of law, he ensured that the country was peaceful18. Additionally, Sadam ensured that the living standards of the Iraqi people were uplifted through economic developments. However, since the U.S. toppled Sadam, the country has only known violence that has resulted in the death and the displacement of thousands of Iraqis. Currently, the Islamists are pushing to topple the regime that had been installed by the United States just after the toppling of Sadam. The political instability currently witnessed in Iraq has worsened the living standards of the Iraqi people than it was during the Sadam regime. In fact, most Iraqi people are claiming that there were better during the reign of Sadam than it currently19. Inflation has reached its all time high. Unemployment rate has also gone up with more investors deserting the country because of the bad state of security in the country. This begs the moral reason behind the U.S. invasion of the country. Although the Iraqis are currently suffering because of the political instability and conflicts created by the U.S. invasion, Americans are comfortably watching Iraqis suffer at the hands of the insurgents. Additionally, unlike the Gulf War that was justified, Iraq War was unjustified because it resulted in the death of m thousands of innocent lives that would have otherwise saved if the U.S. and Britain could have pursued a diplomatic course. According to the just-war theory, any war should be preceded by the exhaustion of all possible diplomatic channels20. However, unlike in the Gulf War where the coalition forces entered into war after receiving an approval from the UN. Security Council, the Iraq War, was hurried by the U.S. without getting a node from the UN Security Council21. This showed that the aim of the U.S. in entering the war was motivated by other factors other than the ones stated22. Additionally, even after entering into the war, the U.S. and its allied did not take the necessarily precautions stated under the just-war principle to protect the lives of innocent civilians. This is after it emerged that many innocent civilians were killed by the U.S. led troops that were expected to protect them. The killing of the innocent civilians amounted to a human rights violation, which is against the spirit of the just-war principles. Agence France-Presse report released in 2013 revealed that an estimated 115,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the 2003 following the U.S. invasion of the country23. Unfortunately, the majority of these civilians were mistakenly killed by the U.S. troops. This leaves many people, including Americans asking the moral behind the war. In conclusion, Iraq has had two major wars with the U.S. and allies over the last two decades. The first being the Gulf War that was triggered by the Sadams invasion of Kuwait, prompting the U.S. and allies to intervene through military action. The other was the Iraq War of 2003, which was motivated by the U.S. accusation of Sadam of manufacturing WMD. However, from the analysis of the motives and the consequences of the two wars, it becomes clear that whereas the Gulf War was justified, the Ira War of 2003 was not. The Gulf War was justified since it met all the requirements of just-war theory. For instance, the war was fought after making all the diplomatic attempts to solve the conflict without going to war. As such, war was only used as a last resort. Additionally, the Gulf War was justified its aim was to preserve the sovereignty of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia that were at stake following Sadams invasion of Kuwait. Further, the Gulf was justified since it was executed to save Kuwait civilians from atrocities performed by the Iraqi forces against them. By contrast, the Iraq War in 2003 was unjustified as it violated the requirements of just-war theory, prior, during and after the war. For instance, investigations conducted after the toppling of Sadam and his unfortunate execution found that Sadam was not enriching WMD as alleged by the Bush administration. Additionally, the Iraq War was unjustified as it has worsened peace in Iraq that it was before the war. Bibliography Atkinson, Rick. Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1994. Carlisle, Rodney P. and John S. Bowman. Iraq War. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Choudhuri, Rudra. Forged in Crisis. New Delhi: Harper: Collins Publishers India, 2014. Copson, Raymond W. The Iraq War: Background and Issues. Hauppauge: Nova Publishers, 2003. Fawn, Rick and Raymond A. Hinnebusch. The Iraq war: causes and consequences. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2006. Felice, William F. How Do I Save My Honor? War, Moral Integrity, and Principled Resignation. Mason: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Finlan, Alastair. The Gulf War 1991. New York: Osprey Publishing, 2003. Harvey, Frank P. Explaining the Iraq War: Counterfactual Theory, Logic and Evidence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Hughes, William. Saying No to the War Party: A Collection of Essays and Photos in Opposition to Iraq War, Issue 2. New York: iUniverse, 2003. Joyner, Christopher C. The Persian Gulf War: Lessons for Strategy, Law, and Diplomacy. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1990. Kaposi, Stephen. The Real Axis of Evil: The Invasion of Iraq, Western Imperialism, Lies and the Police State. New York: iUniverse, 2004. McGoldrick, Dominic. From 9-11 to the Iraq War 2003: International Law in an Age of Complexity. Portland: Hart Publishing, 2004. Mueller, John E. Policy and Opinion in the Gulf War. London: University of Chicago Press, 1994. Murray, Williamson and Robert H Scales. The Iraq War. New York: Harvard University Press, 2005. Reuters. "A Look at U.S. Deaths in the Iraq War". The Washington Post, 25 October, 2005, 6. Rottman, Gordon L. Armies of the Gulf War. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1993. Sheridan, Kerry. “Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start Of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study Says.” The Huffington Post, 15 Oct. 2013, 3. Summers, Harry G. Persian Gulf War Almanac. Princeton: Facts on File, 1995. Ursano, Robert J. and Ann E. Norwood. Emotional Aftermath of the Persian Gulf War: Veterans, Families, Communities, and Nations. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Pub, 1996. West, Bing and General Ray L. Smith The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division. New York: Bantam Books, 2003. Read More