The Iraq War -- Five Years Later

by Keith Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, March 28, 2008

Five years after the invasion began, George Bush defends his decision to invade the sovereign nation of Iraq. Although the pitch to sell the war in late 2002 and early 2003 was all about the dangers to our national security that Iraq and its supposed weapons of mass destruction posed, one listening to Bush’s recent speech on the anniversary of the launch of this misguided operation, would be inclined to believe U.S. policy was motivated by the spread of democracy in the Middle East. The way in which the reasoning behind the war shifted with the political winds as weapons searches came up empty and public support waned, casts gloomy shadows over the administrations claims to the success of this mission. Certainly it’s true that public support for war based on the spread of democracy to the Arab world would have been a hard sell in early post-9/11 America. Still, the focus on a democratic Iraq in times when the majority of our citizens don’t approve of the war seems disingenuous.

Perhaps sensing that the tone of public support was so negative, Bush also appealed to the humanitarian in each of us by highlighting the atrocities committed by the Sadam regime. Speaking in disgust of the mass graves and prisons found during the invasion, Bush sought to justify the invasion in the interest of human rights. Of course this motivation rings empty when compared to human rights violations by other nations who have escaped the wrath of U.S. intervention and occupation. In that light, the only motivation for the war left is economic interest, the hardest sell of all for imperiling our young men and women.

Economic interest does provide some insight into Dick Cheney’s recent proclamations of success in Iraq. Of course, as a benefactor of Haliburton, his perspective is different than most Americans. War profiteering has been very, very good for Haliburton, which enjoyed no-bid contracts and little oversight of services provided during the war. While Iraq may not have been a pleasant place for many of those employed by the big U.S. contractors who have been reaping the benefits of the toils of coalition forces, it is undeniable that the boards of corporations like Haliburton and security contractor Blackwater have had a few great fiscal years. As have the corporations who were part of Cheney’s secret energy task force. With U.S. aggression in the Middle East sparking unrest that has driven up prices of crude oil, the major players in the oil industry like Exxon Mobil have posted record profits as most Americans have felt the squeeze of skyrocketing gas prices. So economic interest is a more viable reasoning for the invasion than the claim of security.

The claim has long been that now that we are in Iraq, we must remain there to provide stability in the troubled nation. To many on both sides of the political spectrum, it no longer matters why we are there. We should focus on the future and not the past. But how we got here does matter. The fact that Iraq was stable (if imperfect) during Sadam’s reign and is now a festering sore of violence on the visage of the Middle East does matter. It matters that we were misled into this war under false pretenses that changed at the whim of the administration. Now, the definition of success in Iraq can be as easily manipulated to satisfy the administration’s agenda.

So, the means that brought us to this point in history are still important. The ends are sobering.

Five years after the invasion began, nearly 4,000 U.S. service members have died in this immoral war. Nearly 30,000 U.S. service members have been wounded. Untold numbers of U.S. service members suffer from the invisible emotional scars of war. The recent Winter Soldier gathering in Silver Springs, MD (inspired by the Winter Soldier conference of Vietnam veterans in 1971) exposed the heart-wrenching anguish of Iraq war vets through their stories of horrors committed with the approval of the highest ranks. Some have sought suicide as an escape from the dark hell of this war.

Five years after the invasion began, nearly 1.8 billion taxpayer dollars are being spent on this war every week.

Five years after the invasion began, the U.S. image in the international community is a source of embarrassment to Americans and a source of animosity to many nations.

Five years after the invasion began, the documented death toll among Iraqis is nearly 90,000, though the unofficial count may be in the hundreds of thousands. Millions of Iraqis have been displaced or have fled the country as refugees. Numbers of refugees would be even higher but neighbors like Jordan and Syria have sealed their borders.

Five years after the invasion began, Vice President Dick Cheney shows stunning disregard for the citizenry he swore to serve. In an interview with ABC news, when confronted about the two-thirds of Americans who don’t feel the war is worth it, he replied “so,” in a matter-of-fact tone.

Five years after the invasion began, the current administration is determined to execute their own agendas, regardless of the will of the people.