Step Seven

"I want to say a word to our troops and civilians in Iraq. You've performed with incredible skill under demanding circumstances. The turnaround you have made possible in Iraq is a brilliant achievement in American history. And while this war is difficult, it is not endless. And we expect that, as conditions on the ground continue to improve, they will permit us to continue the policy of return on success. The day will come when Iraq is a capable partner of the United States. The day will come when Iraq is a stable democracy that helps fight our common enemies and promote our common interests in the Middle East. And when that day arrives, you'll come home with pride in your success, and the gratitude of your whole nation."

President George W. Bush

                                                                  April 10, 2008

March 20, 2003, was a day that would change the history of the world.  On this day, President George W. Bush sent American forces to Iraq, to launch an operation to end the war on terror making the world a safer place for all of its citizens. This movement of troops to the Middle East would later be known to the world as Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Although there are many naysayers who resent President Bush and the actions he has put into motion, the fact remains that if the world as a whole ever wants peace in the Middle East, we must remain there and not leave until peace is present.

As almost anyone knows, the number one reason the United States began its crusade in Iraq was to remove and destroy its supply of weapons of mass destruction.  However, after a “thorough” investigation by a group of investigators known as the Iraq Survey group, many Americans were under the impression that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  From this, many Americans believed that since presumably no weapons of mass destruction were present there, troops were there for no reason at all, this however is not the case.  After the Iraq Survey Group concluded their investigation in Iraq, another group of investigators known as the National Ground Intelligence Center began to look for weapons of mass destruction.  By the end of their investigation, they had found at least 500 weapons in Iraq, dating back to 1991.  Although all of these weapons were not made at that exact time, it still showed that Saddam Hussein lied when he told the world that there were absolutely NO weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  An official from the Department of Defense told FOX news that a statement released after the March 2003 investigation of weapons that stated "we had all known weapons facilities secured," has proven itself to be untrue. "It turned out the whole country was an ammo dump," he said, adding that on more than one occasion, a conventional weapons site has been uncovered and chemical weapons have been discovered mixed within them (FOX news).

Another reason that we should be in Iraq is to stop Iraqis’ support for Muslim terrorist groups which terrorize our nation as well as many other nations who have similar beliefs as the United States.  Al-Qaeda, which is a terrorist group lead by the infamous Osama Bin Laden, has a heavy presence in Iraq.  Their deadly impact in Iraq can be seen and heard of on   a daily basis.  Yesterday, Tuesday, April 15 2008, they claimed responsibility for a car bombing which killed at least 62 people in Baghad.  In order to fight the war on terror, terrorists groups such as Al-Qaeda have to be cleared out of each country one by one.  Since we are working so hard to make Iraq a sovereign, democratic society, it only makes since that we would start in Iraq.  Al-Qaeda could be responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq and have to be stopped.  Not only are they responsible for the deaths of many innocent Iraqi citizens, they were also responsible for the attack that took place on September 11, 2001.  As previously mentioned, Al-Qaeda is responsible for many deaths that occur each year in Iraq.  Innocent citizens die because of the selfishness and greediness of those who carry out these attacks.  The United States army does as much as it possibly can to stop these attacks, but they come under fire because some of their attempts to destroy Al-Qaeda members causes innocent people to lose their life.  If we do not do something to stop these radical terrorists group, no one will.  If we do not stop them, millions of people will die from their selfish acts of terror.  When terrorists are in such close range of citizens, some innocent lives are taken.  But there lives are not taken in vane as they are in acts of terror.  They are taken because of our country’s determination to stop those who cause so much violence in Iraq. 

There is another thing that happens in Iraq that many people do not know about.  The new government in Iraq has had a tendency to arrest people without probable cause. When they take them into custody, they torture them and do very inhumane things.  According to humanrightswatch.org, detainees have reported being kicked, slapped, and punched, exposure to prolonged suspension from the wrists with the hands tied behind the back, electric shocks to sensitive parts of the body including earlobes and genitals, and being kept blindfolded and/ or handcuffed continuously for several days.  Detainees have also reported being deprived by Iraqi security forces of food and water and being crammed into small cells with many people and no room to sit down.  The United States military forces have begun holding Iraqi officials responsible for these actions and hope to improve the quality of life for many Iraqi citizens who have been wrongly accused by their own government, and were thrown into what many would call torture chambers.  This is another reason why American forces should not leave Iraq at this time.  If our military forces were not there to back these wrongly accused citizens up, many more would suffer mentally and physically at the hands of their own government. 

The biggest and most important reason that we remain in Iraq is to spread democracy.  On March 13, 2006, President Bush addressed a crowd of listeners at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.  In this address he described the excitement of the Iraqi people on the day that they democratically voted for their new leader:

Americans were inspired by the images of Iraqis bringing elderly relatives to the polls, holding up purple ink-stained fingers, dancing in the streets and celebrating their freedom. By their courage, the Iraqi people have spoken and made their intentions clear: they want to live in democracy -- and they are determined to shape their own destiny.

From this statement, it is easy for one to realize how important is for our American forces to be there.  If our troops had never gone to Iraq, Saddam Hussein, a tyrant, would have never been caught, and his regime would still be torturing and killing innocent citizens.  Most Iraqi citizens believe in and strive to keep their weak democratic government.  However, many terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, do not want democracy and freedom to be spread into their “territory”.  Without our soldiers there, these terrorists would easily take back over the country.  Because we are there, Iraq has become a better and better place.  But in a country where continuous war has taken place for thousands of years, peace will not come easily.  It will take time and determination.  If we left the country now in such an unstable state, things will surely return to the way they used to be, and could be worse.  Leaving country now in such a vulnerable state would be foolish, and it is our duty as Americans to support the spread of democracy because the spread of democracy is the spread of peace.