Why the US Troops Should Stay in Iraq

In 2003, George Bush announced that the United States military would send troops into Iraq. He spoke of preemptive wars, unilateralism, and regime change, and presented these ideas as inevitable choices because our nation was being threatened (Naim). Two years later, the ideas Bush presented in his speech should still be enforced, however the war is not as supported as it once was. Support for the Iraqi war has decreased and fewer feel that the United States made the right decision in invading Iraq. These concerns cause one to ask should the United States pull the troops out of Iraq now? Or should they wait until there is an established government?

The War in Iraq has always been a controversial topic. Despite the controversy, President George Bush has remained very resolute in his decision to send the troops into Iraq, and does not show any signs of pulling them out. He told a reporter "Our troops will come home when Iraq is capable of defending herself"(Solomon). It is extremely important the United States troops stay in Iraq until a stable government is established.

Norman Solomon writes that "Powerful pundits keep telling us that a swift pullout of U.S. Troops would be irresponsible". While these "pundits" are not named they are making an extremely accurate point. The United States encouraged the Iraqi people to risk their lives by getting out to vote. More than eight million Iraqi people came to vote, due to our support, and if the US backs out now we will appear incompetent (Kurdish Life). Liam Anderson and Gareth Stansfield writers for the academic journal Publius write, "Iraq's recent elections were an important first step on the road to democratic normalcy. For most Western observers, Iraq's recent elections represented an unambiguously positive development in the country's traumatic recent history. Despite insurgents' threats to "wash the streets with blood," Iraqis turned out in their millions to participate in Iraq's first democratic elections since the mid-1950s (Anderson). David Moore a reporter for the Gallup Poll News Service believes that keeping troops in Iraq will help thwart further terrorist attacks, particularly because the government that is trying to be established in Iraq is not strong enough to be on its own, and if we were to pull troops out right now we would leave them vulnerable to attacks (Moore).

The past should show the United States that running away from the war will only prove to be disastrous. In 1983 the United States was providing support against the civil war in Lebanon and when our Marine Corps Barracks stationed near Beruit Airport were bombed by terrorists, the United States administration did not fight back, and under Reagan's orders the secretary of defense ordered the Marines to leave Beirut. This gave the impression that terrorists could attack Americans and it would be tolerated. The United States once again ran away from conflict in the mid 1990's when Bill Clinton ordered US troops out of Somalia because our troops were being attacked. We let Somalia down and made them more vulnerable (Delaney). Gideon Rose a member of the Council of Foreign relations relates the act of exiting a war due to a possible undesirable outcome as a sort of reflex. "Still others think of exit strategies as plans for what to do when an intervention does not follow its expected course. Prompted by the experience in Somalia, recent discussion has focused almost exclusively on one scenario, dramatic failure, and one response, withdrawal. This is unfortunate because responsible contingency planning involves more than simply pointing out the exit. Initial failure, for example, can theoretically be met with either withdrawal or escalation, and there can be happy surprises as well as sad ones" (Rose).

The United States has also been making progress in Iraq. It is foolish for us to get rid of our troops now because then all of our hard work will have been pointless. We have been successful in establish a government, progress has been slow but they now have an elected government and while there are still pockets of resistance, if we leave our work will be destroyed by the remaining terrorist groups.

Another reason troops should remain in Iraq is because it helps the United States make more allies and maintain the ones we already have. By aiding Iraq other countries will look to the United States for aid (Moore). The US has been involved in the Anglo-US Alliance for an extremely long time. A pullout would damage this alliance, and it is vital that Prime Minister Tony Blair and George Bush work together. This will "ensure the development of a viable democracy in Iraq" (Gardiner, Hulsman). Gardiner and Hulsman members of the Anglo American Security Policy and Research Fellow in Heritage Affairs continue to stress the importance of the Anglo-US Alliance by saying, "The Anglo-U.S. alliance must remain the cornerstone of strategic thinking in both Washington and London, as it has been since the Second World War. The world's two most powerful nations must remain united in their determination to achieve lasting peace in a free Iraq and to deal with the twin global threats of state-sponsored terrorism and the production of weapons of mass destruction by rogue states." Countries would lose faith in the United States if they saw us abandoning our war effort in Iraq. By continuing our effort until a government is established we are showing other countries that we are a powerful nation.

In O'Hanlon's book Defense Policy Choices for the Bush Administration he greatly emphasizes the economic toll the Iraq war is having on the United States. O'Hanlon points out that the economy is suffering due to money spent on weapons and says, "Reductions in various weapons modernization programs and other economies might free up enough funds". O'Hanlon is concerned that our increased involvement in the war on terrorism will escalate spending "to the levels seen under the Reagan administration." This is a concern to O'Hanlon because he feels there is not a clear strategy in Iraq, and that without a clear plan, the US defense budget will be able to be kept $30 billion to $40 billion below the planned Bush administration levels, as he had hoped to do. While the war does have a great impact on the economy of the United States it is difficult to entirely blame the nation's economic problems solely on the war.

O'Hanlon also discusses in his book the "extreme demands of the Iraq mission, particularly on the US Army and Marine Corps." O'Hanlon makes a valid point in his statement; however the United States was ultimately going to have to become involved in Iraq. Whether we entered on our own, or were forced into war on the defensive. The United States would be force into war on the defensive if we were attacked. Whether the war was entered because we were attacked or because we entered as a preventive measure, there would still be extreme demands on the US Army and Marine Corps.

Wartime has always been a stressful time in our nation's history. Families are separated, security is threatened and lives are lost. Despite these difficulties it is extremely important that the United States finishes what it has started. There will be many more consequences for the United States if we leave a government unstable and run by terrorists then if we wait until it can run smoothly on its own. We will gain allies, and be looked upon in more respect if we finish the job we started. Furthermore we will control the terrorists from doing more damage and we will ultimately make Iraq a better place.

Works Cited

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