Timeline for war may be winding down
Carlton Newsome, Senior Staff Reporter
Published in the Feb. 20, 2003 edition of Technician.
“Military force is always this nation’s last option. Yet, if force becomes necessary to disarm Iraq and enforce the will of the United Nations, if force becomes necessary to secure our country and to keep the peace, America will act deliberately, America will act decisively and America will act victoriously with the world’s greatest military. “
In a speech delivered at the U.S . Naval Station Mayport in Florida, President George W. Bush reinforced the rhetoric that has been common in the Oval Office during the past months: Iraq must be disarmed even if it means America must go to war.
Bush’s case for war is founded in the premise that Iraq has been in violation of U.N . resolutions and a 1991 cease-fire agreement after expelling U.N . weapons inspectors from the country in 1998.
Bush took his case before the U.N . Security Council on Sept. 12, pushing for a new U.N . Security Council resolution to demand that Iraq allow weapons inspectors re-entry or face serious consequences. Iraq unconditionally accepted their return four days later.
Now, after the weapons inspectors have presented their findings before the U.N . Security Council, Bush and his cabinet continues to search for international support for opposing Iraq and the timeline for war seems to be winding down.
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Changing a nation through military action
Trey Ferguson, Viewpoint Editor
Just 24 hours after this article was published, President Bush issued an ultimatum to Hussein and his family demanding they leave Iraq within 48 hours or face military consequences. After 48 hours, Bush announced the U.S . and coalition forces had begun military action—the war in Iraq had begun.
We have spent the last eight years with military presence in Iraq. Soldiers are fighting and dying for freedom in a war many see as a lost cause. President Obama has announced the war “seems to winding down,” with the return of our troops, by the end of December.
Only time will tell if Obama’s promise turns out to be just another political stunt for re-election, or a quarantine for military families to see their soldiers come home. It is important to understand the impact this war has had on our nation’s history and how it will influence its future.
This so-called war is actually not a war at all; the last time the U.S . declared a state of war was in June of 1942 with World War II. Everything since then has been a military engagement, but not a state of war. This is a common misconception, especially with our military presence in Iraq.
This engagement changed the way Americans look at war, especially our generation. We have grown up in a state of war, which we have come to define as negative, unsupportive attitudes toward the reasoning behind the U.S.’s involvement in a country we have no business being involved in. We have a heightened awareness of our patriotism and those serving in our military, but not the cause they fight for.
Because of this, the leaders who will emerge from our generation will be more impacted personally by military policy. They will be more conscientious about the effects military actions have on American society and will be more conservative when using it as a part of their foreign policy.
This war in Iraq has certainly caused a great deal of tragedy and has many negative effects on our nation; however, the positive changes it will have to the future begins with how our generation allows it to be shaped.
Our predecessors may have got our nation into this mess, but our generation decides how we get out it. Because of this, the knowledge and opinions gained from this engagement are vital to how our nation will continue to support democracy and its freedom.