Why did America really declare war on Iraq? Let’s consider the range of possibilities:

1. Was it that America’s political leaders truly believed that Saddham Hussein was a co-conspirator in the 9/11 attack? All reports indicate that there was never any real indication of this. This provided a nice excuse but there was clearly something else driving America’s leaders.

2. Was there ever genuine evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Some few still believe that there were WMD and perhaps still are, but just not as much as was originally believed. I personally don’t believe there had been any attempt for Iraq to build nuclear weaons in years. It would appear that almost everyone believes that this was merely yet another pretext for declaring war on Iraq.

3. Was it America’s benevolent desire to bring democracy to a mistreated nation? Would all those who believe this please raise their hands? Although that is the spin being given to the war now, few people seem to hold on to the theory that our primary motive was a benevolent one. It isn’t likely that we would spend billions of taxpayer dollars for an act that was nothing more than one of good will. There had to be something in it for America.

4. Was it President Bush’s desire to get even with the man who tried to assassinate his entire family back in the 80s? Undoubtedly, this made the President more receptive to the concept of taking Saddham Hussein down. But again it doesn’t make sense that this was at the top of his list of reasons.

5. Was it that Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice-president Cheney had the power to exert undue influence on the President to lead him into war? Apparently, even the President’s father shared this conern. By all reports, it would seem that Rumsfeld and Cheney were guided by their belief that America would be welcome with open arms, that flowers would be strewn in the streets, in gratitude for our coming in on our white horses to destroy the evil emporer and save the Iraqis from his malevolence. How is it possible that such experienced men could be so naive? Could they not see the inevitability of civil war breaking out resulting from America’s invasion? But, still, what was their underlying reason for wanting to declare war?

6. Was it America’s desire to protect its oil rights in the Middle East? Now we are getting warmer. Some say that our oil rights are protected under contract. But, as every business man and woman knows, contracts can be broken - especially when they are made over such vast seas. And with China and India now boosting their own need for oil to fuel the number of cars that will be needed to fill their new expansive highways, America’s leaders were concerned that its need for oil may have to sacrifice. Some of us ask: could we not have spent a small portion of this war on research for alternative sources?

7. Was it America’s desire to establish a widespread system of government throughout the Middle East that would be responsive to America’s wants? Now we’re getting warmer still.  After weighing all the issues, it would seem evident that America’s leaders believed that they could easily take Hussein down and that the Iraqis would be grateful. They believed that once they established a democracy that would be receptive to America there, it would become easier to follow this pattern throughout the Middle East. Protecting its turf in the Middle East would give America the position of power it needed to continue to dominate the world.

 8. Did the war in Iraq have anything to do with protecting America from terrorism? American leaders believed that taking the war to Iraq would keep it off American soil. But it appears to be having a reverse effect. The presence of American soldiers in Iraq gives jihadists a clear target toward which to shoot. Supporters of those who identify with the original cause for the terrorist attacks are in every part of the world. They are not at all confined to the Middle East. Are there any Americans who believe that we are safer today than we were on September 11, 2001? Most of us believe that it is not a question of if but when the next attack will come.

If the war in Iraq was not a retroaction to 9/11, not about protecting America and the world from terrorism, not about the threat of weapons of mass destruction, then was America’s true motive for going there justified? And if it is true that America is there to protect its oil rights and to establish its power base in the Middle East, then hasn’t America deceived the entire world as to what this war is really about?

The problem now is: We’re there. We’ve created a civil war. Now we don’t know how to get out of it. Perhaps part of the answer lies in something beyond warfare. Perhaps it rests in America admitting the truth about the war and not hiding behind the appearance of benevolency. Perhaps it rests in attempting to understand what the outrage among the insurgents is all about. Perhaps it rests in finding a solution that will create equity among the Sunnis, the Shiites, and the Kurds. Perhaps the answer rests in an effort to understand the position of all sides involved.

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