Robert W. Ricks

 

Course: English 101

Instructor: Ms. Ramona Cutrer

Assignment: Argumentative

 

Many have argued that it is time to pull U. S. troops from the war in Iraq. While this is an appealing short-term solution, its long term implications will lead to a destabilized Iraq as it descends into civil war. The pullout will in turn give terrorists a new base in the Middle East from which to plan and implement attacks against the United States placing innocent civilians at risk. Although controversial, the war in Iraq has protected America from further terrorist attacks.

When Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003, few people ever dreamed that we would still be at war in 2008, and the war in Iraq is not the only threat we face. We have problems in Afghanistan and Iran as well as facing enemies all over the world. Some issues are age old, while others concern nuclear threats that are new to our modern time. Our concerns for the most part are centered on the hatred that others hold for America and all that we stand for.

Opponents of the war argue that our security at home is actually threatened by our military being deployed in Iraq. They argue that the money “being spent on the war could have been spent on schools, health care, roads and new military equipment or making the country’s borders safer” (Prah 11). To take their argument even further, Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy emphatically charges that “much of the chaos after Hurricane Katrina could be blamed on the fact that a third of the state’s National Guard was deployed in Iraq at the time” (Prah 11). Others disagree and argue that nothing could have been done with the situation that evolved with Katrina.

President Bush sees the war as a success not only for Iraq and its people, but remarked that “the surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around; it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror” (Alberts 1). When talking about al Qaeda, President Bush further noted that “for the first time, Arabs have now joined U.S. forces in an uprising against the radical Islamic group” (Alberts 2). Even the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) have lobbied Congress as well as the American people to be patient concerning a hasty withdrawal. Bender states “VFW officials in recent months have begun to echo some White House arguments – including the contention that victory in Iraq is essential to battling terrorism” (Bender 1). It will take time to determine the full extent of the Bush plan. This is time that we must give our troops and the Iraqi people.

We felt safe in the thought that it is better to fight a war over there than to have terrorists here on our home soil. This is a sentiment that was surely supported by our grandparents who lived through World War II. They saw the horrors of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and came together more united than apart to fight for freedom. Today, we are not united in this war effort.

It is true that we appeared to come together and unite after the bombing of the twin towers in New York City. That act alone propelled the attack on Iraq forward for a time. However, opponents of the war cite statistics that seem to show that fewer Americans view the Iraq war as making the United States safer from another terrorist attack. They cite statistics from November 2004, claiming that 46 percent of Americans believed we were safer (Prah 2), while a poll in 2008 reportedly shows “64% of Americans oppose the war” (Alberts 1). That 64% apparently do not believe that fighting terrorism over there protects us over here.

In history classes we have long been taught that allies are important to any nation. If we have few, or no, allies then we live a lonely existence. Gilley states “The only semi-democratic states in the Arab world are Jordan and Kuwait. Iraq is rapidly surpassing them in terms of its electoral, civil and media freedoms” (Gilley 1). Hopefully the future will show that Iraq will become a stronghold of democratic ideals that will serve as an example for not only other nations in the region but for nations everywhere.

This lofty goal seems impossible now especially with the anti-war sentiment here at home. We all heard the debates during the recent presidential election, and we know, or think we know, the position of the new president. If Obama’s campaign promises are to be believed, there may be a rapid withdrawal of our troops.

Proponents of the war still believe that a free democratic Iraq could be achieved and peace could be brought to the Middle East. The worldwide economy through free trade, cheap oil, and the American way of life would solve all the world’s problems. There would be no cold war. All of Europe, Africa and China would fall in line with a global order of peace and freedom for all people of all nations. This could be true except that there are many people in this world who wish to unravel all that we have worked hard to achieve and would rather see chaos and turmoil. They do not want to see prosperity and wealth come to any nation. We want change and we somehow believe we can solve our own problems. Smooth talk and promises go a long way to set the stage. Iraq is going to prosper not only by our efforts, but by hard work, perseverance, and time. Necessary to this prosperity will be the philosophy of the people and its government. Whether we stay or go will be a topic for another day. The history books will record it as written by the victors for they repeat the stories of their conquests, while the losers frequently are written out of history altogether. In the end some of us will win and some of us will lose eternally. Staying in Iraq is the right thing to do at least for now.

The war in Iraq has been a noble cause. America has been safe from foreign terrorists during the time we have fought over there. It is tragic that lives have been lost, and we should forever thank those who served and their families. There is an expression that is often quoted, but it has never been truer than now. America is the “Land of the free because of the brave. Freedom isn’t free.”

Works Cited

 

Alberts, Sheldon. “Iraq success ‘undeniable,’ Bush tells Pentagon; President warns pulling out troops would create ‘chaos’.” The National Post 20 Mar. 2008. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Bender, Bryan. “VFW, American Legion back Iraq war Groups urge patience to let ‘Surge’ Work. The Boston Globe 16 Aug 2007.

JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Gillery, Bruce. “In Iraq’s success, Bush’s vindication; ‘None of the American mistakes invalidate the war – any more than the Dresden bombings invalidated the fight against Hitler’”. ” The National Post 22 Dec 2008. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Prah, Pamela M. “War in Iraq; Is the United States winning?” CQ Researcher. 21 Oct 2005. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Works Stated

Duquette, Chris. “The price of war?; Obscuring the debate with fuzzy math”. The Washington Times 9 May 2008. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Eggen, Dan. “On War’s Anniversary, Bush Cites Progress: ‘Strategic Victory’ Is Near, He Asserts”. The Washington Post 20 Mar 2008. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Goodspeed, Peter. “U.S. military school calls Iraq war a debacle; Outcome remains in doubt, study says”. The National Post 22 Apr. 2008. JSTOR. 21 Nov. 2008.

 

Grier, Peter. “US task: fight to end four wars in Iraq”. Christian Science Monitor. 27 Feb 2007. JSTOR.Web. 21 Nov. 2008.

Editor’s Comments: Though several years have passed since this essay was written, The Pick’s staff believes that Mr. Ricks’s work is an excellent example of an argumentative essay, especially in regard to persuasion. His usage of reasoning and statistics make for a compelling case as far as his main points are concerned.