Research Paper on "Logical Fallacy's on the Iraq War"

Research Paper 5 pages (1577 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Fallacies of the Iraq War: A Critical Examination

The Iraq War is an excellent example of a conflict involving a combination of assumptions, fallacies, and downright lies. Before the invasion, the plans were being laid to take over one of the world's richest oil fields and secure these and other resources for the U.S. And its interests abroad. The invasion of Iraq itself was conducted on shaky footing, and the reasons for invading the country and the justification for deposing its leader were changed multiple times from the beginning of the Bush Administration up until the end. The Iraq was can be viewed through many different sets of lenses, but Just War Theory as well as the UN charter shed light on many of the fallacies of the War in Iraq, especially when it comes to justifying the invasion and occupation of the country.

Planning for the Iraq invasion and subsequent war had begun before G.W. Bush's Administration took power. In fact, the Project for a New American Century, headed up by many of George W. Bush's cabinet members, had drafted a letter and planned to invade the country in the 1990's. This included plans for exploiting the region's oil and other valuable natural resources (PNAC). These and other outlines goals and projections were eventually passed on to President Clinton in the late 1990's. Clinton did not see eye-to-eye with PNAC, and its leader at the time, Paul Wolfowitz. However, once Mr. Wolfowitz and his cronies were installed in the G.W. Bush Administration, their plans could come to fruition. The invasion and war in Iraq were the result of these plans.

Many feel that foreign dependency on oil has to be severed if the U.S. And its citizens are going to survive technologically and financially. As oil becomes more and more scarce- more and more valuable, the number of people and corporations who will stop at nothing environmentally to acquire more of this fossil fuel resource will continue to grow. Oil has caused energy markets to fester and environmental policies both domestically and internationally to be rolled back for the benefit of new and continued drilling and exploration. Different habits in the policies and policy-making patterns of energy consumption and the environment are the byproduct of the economy, conflicts of interest, and politics.

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush adopted a foreign policy doctrine that permits preventative war against potentially aggressive and threatening states before they pose a real, physical threat. (Purdum, 88) Whether or not Iraq and the Hussein Regime posed any real threat to the U.S. is debatable but since Bush felt that he did at the time, he decided to invade Iraq to prevent a potential catastrophe. (Purdum) in an address to the United States Congress after the attacks, President Bush had declared that the U.S. would "make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them," (Bush) a statement that was followed by the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and later the invasion and war in Iraq. This black and white worldview held by Bush and reflected in the Bush doctrine is a very dangerous one.

Labeling countries and regimes as good or evil and creating the Axis of Evil have served to further alienate the black and white Bush world from the rest of the planet. The Bush doctrine classifies nations of the world, particularly those in the Middle East as rouge nations or regimes. Through the Bush doctrine the president and his administration have created a very serious and potentially permanent rift between the U.S. And the rest of the world as far as foreign policy is concerned. It may be impossible to repair the damage caused by such a simplistically minded, ignorant doctrine. The Bush doctrine, adopted in 2002 as a foreign policy practice has left the United States in a situation where there are few allies in the War on Terror. President Bush's unilateral approach to the Iraq conflict has lead many leaders of other countries to assume that Bush was a loose cannon in the international realm and he needed to be reeled in before he can do more harm.

Just War Theory provides a useful framework for individuals and political groups to use for their discussion of possible wars and conflicts. The invasion in Iraq and subsequent war and occupation can be analyzed quite effectively through Just War Theory. The political philosopher that began dialogue on just war theory was St. Thomas Aquinas. There are many pieces that make up the whole of this theory and his development of Just War Theory was the impetus of modern theory and analysis.

Throughout history there have been many wars that follow a certain justification pattern in which one state or group of people goes to war with another to right a previously-done wrong. The British fight against the Nazi's was in part justified in this way. A war fought to prevent a wrong from happening may also be considered a just war. Bush used his preemptive strategy to help justify the war in Iraq but the line between prevention and unilateral aggression is thin. If Bush could have proven Hussein and his administration to be a direct and imminent threat to the U.S. Or anyone else for that matter, then Bush could have used this part of just cause to successfully justify the invasion, war, and occupation. In more modern times wars to defend the innocent are increasingly regarded as just.

According to modern Just War Theory there are a quite a few defined just causes such as self-defense, assassination of an important political or cultural icon, attack on national honor, attack on a state-sponsored religion, and economic attack, an attack on a neighbor or ally, assisting an invaded friendly nation, stopping a human rights violation, or war as a preemptive strike. Under Just War Theory, preemptive action is only just when it is necessary and there is an imminent and severe threat posed. (Russell, 112) When the invasion of Iraq is put under the microscope in this respect there can be no question that the invasion and subsequent war was not just according to Just War Theory. Preemptive strikes may no longer be acceptable by UN members, since the Charter says that short of actual attack, "all Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means" (United Nations, 1; Welsh, 4).

The war in Iraq was justified with false information and assumptions about Saddam's regime. There was no evidence that Iraq possessed WMD's or that they even posed any real threat to the U.S. And its interests. Bush's War on Terror was extended to include the war in Iraq because of long-existing ties with energy and oil interests, the PNAC, region stabilization, a messianic view of himself, and personal financial gain. There was really no justification for invasion and war but the American people were convinced through a series of outright lies and fear-mongering that Iraq and Saddam Hussein were somehow involved with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The facts state otherwise. Energy policy, environmental policy, and foreign policy will always have symbiotic relationships by design but whether or not they will be positive relationships is something that is decided by the policy makers and those that directly influence them. These policies will forever be linked in the minds of Americans as well in the pages of our history books. The war in Iraq has much to do with these energy policies as well.

The war in Iraq has put Bush under the magnifying glass of history. There are a great many comparisons to be made between Bush and the great Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli, living in the 15th century, believed in the purest form of intention as a driving force… READ MORE

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