Solutions turning into problems

Mistakes were made during the time of the Iraqi war. We as Americans were not aware of the problems this could bring when we first invaded, it was believed as the best option to stop threats to our country.During the Iraqi war America´s involvement was first initiated in March of 2003. The war is still one of the most debated decisions by Americans and many believe that this was unnecessary for the amount of long term consequences we suffered doing so. The reason for the invasion of Iraq was to strike against regime leader Saddam Hussein´s regime. They were accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction while also harboring ties to terrorist groups. Saddam Husseins regime was believed as the biggest threat during the time to America. America´s intention for the invasion was to disarm Iraq and establish a democratic government. However, the reasons for war, the execution of the military campaign, and the long term consequences have been reasons for lots of controversy.

The initial stage of war, characterized by the ¨shock and awe¨ campaign by the U.S., led to a very quick ending to Saddam Hussein´s government. American and allied forces swiftly took control of the capital city of Baghdad and other major cities. This led to President Bush to declare ¨mission accomplished¨ in May 2003. Although the war was considered over, the post-invasion process was a lot more challenging than we thought. The disbanding of the Iraqi army, the absence of WMDs, and then the failure to execute a good plan for the aftermath but instead it turned into a violent surge throughout the country. Insurgent groups were formed made up of foreign fighters, upset Iraqi citizens, government security personnel targeted American military and civilians. Bringing a bloody war with continued conflict.

The Iraqi war had long lasting consequences for both Iraq and the United States. After the war Iraq suffered immense human and economical damage to the point it was in the ruins. With hundreds of Iraqi citizens killed the country’s infrastructure was devastated. It is obvious the U.S. didnt anticipate for this kinda of involvement after the war but it was a mistake to learn from so it doesn´t happen again. The war continued, leading to the rise of the extremist groups such as ISIS, which seemingly began to slowly take control. On the United States end of this, war resulted in thousands of lives lost during the conflict as well as trillions of dollars spent. In my opinion the worst decline in our reputation we’ve had since the Vietnam war. This war also diverted resources and attention from other foreign policy challenges like the conflict in Afghanistan as well as the rise of China. As the United States decided to withdraw its military from Iraq in 2011, the legacy of the war continued to shape our country’s political landscape. So many questions about the effectiveness of our involvement in Iraq, the limits of America’s power, and if it was worth it for the end result. In conclusion, even when you seem in control of the situation mistakes can still be made to create jeaopordy.

In conclusion, my thoughts on the Iraqi war are very mixed. I was a young kid with all of this going on and I didnt know why or who was the bad guy because you only worry about being safe. As I get older and look back to it I realize how much involvement the U.S. had after we had already done what we came there for in the first place. I believe we overstayed our welcome in the middle east and many military and civilian lives were lost because of this added conflict. It just seems unneccasary to put our military at risk of terriost organizations when the problem is already taken care of and the only people fighting us back are the ones wanting revenge. My thoughts on the Iraqi war are mixed, but I feel it could have been done in alot better ways without risking the lives of all of these people.

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