Do We Need to Go to War? Term Paper

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War on Terror

Towards the end of the first week of the war against Iraq, public support for the war remained strong. To many people, Saddam Hussein's actions and failure to comply with weapons inspections leaves the United States with no choice but unlitateral military action.

Syndicated columnist Mona Charon echoes these arguments when she maintains that Saddam Hussein continues to hoard weapons of mass destruction. Even UN Inspector Hans Blix, she argues, said that Iraq has failed to provide evidence that their store of weapons have been destroyed (Charon).

Charon believes that while Muslim regimes in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt "promote violence and religious hatred" (Charon). Even in comparison to its neighbors, however, Iraq is extremist and reckless. It has sponsored terrorist groups and has proven itself to be a bitter foe of the United States.

Finally, Charon argues that disarming Iraq is crucial not only for the United States, but for the safety of the world. Removing Saddam Hussein from power and laying the foundations for a functioning democracy will help defuse the Arab anger towards the United States and transform the entire region "for the better" (Charon).

Despite the strong public support for the war, a significant cross-sectional faction of American society continues to raise its voice for alternatives to war. Columnist Jessica Tuchman Matthews argues that war is far from the best course of action when to address Saddam Hussein.

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While the United States can certainly mobilize cooperation from other countries, few allies will help shoulder the costs of war and its aftermath. War also entails significant risks. There is the possibility that Israel could be dragged into the war, possibly through an attack involving lethal chemical weapons (Matthews).

Matthews also cites the danger that high civilian casualties will fan the flames of enmity, even in the more moderate Muslim states. As a result, the war could serve as an even more powerful recruiting tool for al Qaeda. Ironically, the effort to curb terrorism may very well end up motivating more terrorists (Matthews).

Matthews also points out an aspect of war that most people fail to consider -- the "burden of a postwar Iraq" (Matthews). Assuming that Saddam Hussein is successfully deposed, the American public, Matthews writes, is completely unprepared to shoulder the fiscal and moral responsibilities of the military occupation and political reconstruction of a democratic Iraq.

Instead of war, Matthews advocates several steps that involve "coercive inspections," plans that would additionally be supported by the international community. First, the current UN system of selecting inspectors on the basis of geographic balance should be….....

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