The Continuing War on Terrorism

Terrorism has been a facet of everyday life in the world, especially the Middle East, for hundreds, if not thousands of years. From one reason to the next, it seems as if at least two countries are always warring, which usually involves terrorism in one
form or fashion. As Americans, we have been fortunate enough until lately to avoid most terrorism inside our borders; however, as a result of this, we have grown complacent in our defense and protection of our country. Many Americans refuse
to believe that terrorism of that nature is possible in a country as fine as our's. We have quickly begun to realize though that
with the 1993 attempt at bombing the World Trade Center, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and most prominent, the 2001
airline attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, terrorism within the United States is a very real possibility. In order
to prevent terrorism in America, we must first prevent terrorism in the countries in which it originates.

Terrorism is something that should not be allowed to continue. It is a drain on society and on the world. Whatever the
impetus for terrorism, whether it be money or power or strategic positioning (as was the case with Saddam Hussein in the
Persian Gulf War of 1990 - 1991. Hussein was interested in Kuwait because of its rich oilfields and access to the Persian
Gulf for import/export purposes) it is certainly not a means of successful prosperity. Terrorism is a disease; it is the bane of
human existence. Countries should not be required to cope with terrorism as part of everyday life. Terrorism is unjust and
shameful. This is precisely why the war against terrorism is justified and must continue until terrorism is wiped from the
Earth. Most service members concur that the war, while terribly sacrificing, is necessary to maintain the civil way of life that
America has come to know. Of course, this is not to say that any minute action should be grounds for war; however, terrorist
actions such as that of 11 September 2001 certainly justify a declaration of war. Just as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941 directly affected America's involvement in World War II, the terrorist attack on 11 September led to the
war with Afghanistan.

Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, President Bush was quoted, "what is at stake is far more than a matter
of economics or oil. What is at stake is whether the nations of the world can take a common stand against
aggression...whether we live in a world governed by the rule of law or by the law of the jungle." In order to understand the
constant conflict in the Middle East, one must first understand the history of the region.

On 22 September 1980, Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, commenced an eight - year war with Iran. Fielding a powerful army,
Saddam's socialist Baath Party made no secret of its desire to replace both Iran as the premier military power in the region,
and Egypt as leader of the Arab world. Iraq's invasion of Iran stemmed from ancient hatreds, territorial claims, and religious
tensions. What Saddam Hussein wanted most of all, though, was the strategic Shatt al - Arab waterway, where the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers merge to form part of the border between the two nations. The narrow 120 - mile waterway flows into the
Persian Gulf; and to expand his oil revenue, Saddam needed the outlet so he could build a major shipping port and gain
access to the Gulf. But the Iranian oil cities of Khorramshahr and Abadan also relied on the Shatt al - Arab waterway, and
Iran's Shiite religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had no intention of relinquishing it to Saddam Hussein.

The United States considered an Iranian victory over Iraq a significant threat to the Middle East, both politically and
militarily. After Khomeini's forces achieved a significant military victory at the Faw peninsula in early 1986, America had no
choice but to support Iraq. But when Saddam's troops gained an upper hand in the fighting, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf
states became disturbed over the influence that a victorious Iraq would have on oil policies and Gulf security. The fighting
halted shipments of almost three million barrels of oil a day to the rest of the world. The hostilities, combined with the
shortage of oil, brought the United States and Saudi Arabia closer together; and the Saudi military, which was no match for
Iraq's or Iran's, finally requested military backing in case things got out of hand.

By 1987, the two countries were still at war and casualties had reached nearly one million. Each side accused the other of
smuggling arms into the Gulf, and threatened to attack ships transiting Persian Gulf waters. American warships patrolled the
region, searching for mines and letting their presence be felt by both Iran and Iraq. Still, many countries feared that the
fighting would soon spill over into their territory. One of these nations was Kuwait, which was closer to the action than any
other. Fearing Iranian attacks against its own tankers and supply ships, Kuwait sought protection from the United States,
requesting American warships to escort its tankers in and out of the Gulf. Congress feared that escorting Kuwaiti tankers
under the auspices of the American flag - "reflagged" - might draw American servicemen even deeper into the conflict. Once
Congress found out the Soviet Union had been given the same offer, though, it decided to step in; hence, the ensuing war.

The prolonged war left Iraq's economy in shambles. The quickest way for Saddam Hussein to revitalize his country was to
expand his oil exports. Iraqi production peaked at three million barrels per day, but even this was not enough to help Saddam
bail out a swamped economy and pay the massive war debt, most of which was owed to Kuwait. Saddam needed access to
the Persian Gulf, and since the eight - year war with Iran did not win the strategic Shatt al - Arab waterway, he decided to turn
his attention to Kuwait. A large estuary lies near Kuwait's northeast border, just south of Basrah and west of the Shatt al -
Arab waterway. The Iraqi shoreline in this area is no more than twenty miles long. Facing the entrance to the estuary are
Warba and Bubiyan, two uninhabited islands belonging to Kuwait.

As an alternative to the Shatt al - Arab, Saddam Hussein sought access to the Gulf by widening and extending this estuary until it reached Basrah. To complete the task, he would need to control Warba and Bubiyan, which guard the entrance to the city of Umm Qasr, Iraq's only functioning port of the Gulf.

Since Kuwait had no intention of handing the islands over to Iraq, Saddam Hussein began gathering Iraq's elite Republican
Guard on Kuwait's northern border. By 30 July, eight Iraqi divisions and 350 tanks were poised on the Kuwaiti border. Kuwait
said it would pay Iraq a sizable price in exchange for peace, but talks between the two countries broke down. In the early
morning hours of 2 August 1990, more than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers stormed into Kuwait, thus beginning the Persian Gulf War.
Following the close of the Persian Gulf War, things seemed relatively peaceful; however, as of late, we have learned that
the recent terrorist attacks are possibly linked to actions that transpired over the course of the Persian Gulf War. As we know,
Arabians tend to be highly protective of their territory, and one possible theory suggests that American soldiers may have
somehow unknowingly desecrated Arabian soil while stationed there. Whatever the reason, it is not reason enough to resort
to such terroristic actions. We now see, from the conflict taking place between Israel and Palestine over lands lost hundreds
of years ago, with the conflict's inherent suicide bombings and other terrorisms, that the Middle Eastern terrorist crimes are
far from being over.

The key to defeating terrorism, as Americans, is not to rush to the Middle East, or other high terrorist region, with "all guns
blazing", but to methodically and strategically seek out each source of terrorism and destroy it. We must not stop here,
however; we must also eliminate the possible heirs to future terrorism. While this may seem unnecessary at first
consideration, America will decidedly be returning to the area in the future to dispose of a problem that could have otherwise
been prevented. The purpose of this war is not to use unnecessary force against innocent civilians or even military personnel
that is not terrorist - related; however, this war is quite a justified cause that absolutely must continue unless Americans enjoy
witnessing events such as the destruction of the World Trade Center on a regular basis.

Bibliography
Vipers in the Storm : Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot; Rosenkranz, Keith; McGraw - Hill; 1999.