Hard Power: The Iraq War

Beginning on March 20, 2003 and ending on December 18, 2011 the US was involved in a brutal conflict titled the Iraq War. It was interesting researching about this topic, because I never knew why it started, although it has been a central issue since I was born. Through what I learned most of this period the US occupied Iraq, and, in my opinion, caused more conflict and terror than benefit. Following the start of conflict, and as the US entered occupation, order and disarray fell upon citizens living in Iraq. There were heavy outbreaks of looting and violence, and maintaining order was one of the most straining tasks for the occupied forces. Troops were constantly attacked in what was described in a "gorilla warfare" manner. In this time, thousands of people were killed, both on US and Iraqis sides. More than 85,000 military and civilian Iraqis had violently died. The Bush Administration was heavily criticized for their supervision of the war effort. Bush himself was chastised for his use of hard power, and his sanctions applied to the war effort. In this case, the US could have utilized a "soft power" approach, like providing aid and support to civilians. Because of our interactions in Iraq, a new wave of terrorism has emerged, and it is something that we are still dealing with today. Now it is vital that we help Iraq, because they are still coping with the mess that we are partially responsible for.