The 2 nd Iraq War
The Iraq War is also known as the Third Gulf War which started on March 20th, 2003. The United States of America invaded Iraq (Iraqi Freedom Operation) because they were against the Baath Party which was led by Saddam Hussein. The administration of President George W. Bush started it to do away with the threat from Saddam Hussein. President Bush communicated that Hussein was creating mass destruction weapons. The invasion resulted in the fast defeat of the Iraqi soldiers as well as the arrest and execution of Saddam Hussein. The United States tried to create a new government when they succeeded in occupying Iraq. Nonetheless, violence against the United States forces (alliance) swiftly resulted in an asymmetrical war between the military of the U.S, the insurgents, and the newly established government in Iraq (Bassil, 2012). The fight was part of the War on Terror in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks masterminded by al-Qaida.
The Iraq war is responsible for creating a humanitarian crisis in Iraq. It led to many civilian casualties, but it did not immediately establish a significant humanitarian crisis or start the mass migration. Nevertheless, shortly after, the counter-insurgency operations of the coalition, including massive attacks on towns such as Falluja, resulted in significantly increased mortality rates as well as significant displacement, affecting many people in the country. Sectarian clashes became worse at the beginning of 2006. Moreover, inter-communal violence resulted in increasing death injury and sizeable new displacement.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The death rate in Iraq has increased sharply. Many citizens of Iraq are being forced to leave their homes because of the increase in coalition bombing, sectarian violence, and ground attacks. The minority groups in the country face a serious risk. Following a report by the UNHCR, about two million refugees managed to escape to neighboring nations, mainly Jordan and Syria. Poverty and unemployment increased sharply to because of the Iraq war. Also, education is inferior in the country. Furthermore, primary needs in Iraq like food, drinking water, electricity, and sanitation are not met. The hospitals are understaffed, and they do not have the necessary medical supplies. The war has dramatically resulted in increasing humanitarian challenges.
The invasion of Iraq also led to declining in Human rights in the state. Many NGOs and newspapers lament a decline in human rights during the Iraq war. The situation inhibits the free exercise of the media in Iraq again. Further, the government of Iraq started banning some journalists and even stopping others from entering Iraq. Another implication of the war is that it led to the Revolt of Fallujah. On March 31st 200, pictures of angry crowds in Fallujah were aired by Western media. They displayed the mob dragging, hitting through the city and next to bridge the dead bodies of four American workers of private military organization Blackwater, murdered by grenades. These images were similar to those of Mogadishu in 1993. The revolt has powerfully influenced the public opinion of Americans, creating awareness of the intensity of this war.
The Iraq war has dramatically impacted the Middle East. It has given rise to the Sunni-Shiite tension. The top positions in the regime of Saddam Hussein were filled by Sunni Arabs which is a minority group in the country. The invasion allowed the majority of Shiite Arab to claim the government. That was the first time that Shiites ascended to power in any Arab nation. This historic event attracted hostility as well as suspicion of Sunni parties. A war emerged between the Sunni and Shiite militia, which affected sectarian relations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Arab nations with a mixed Shiite-Sunni population.
The 2nd Iraq war also led to the rise of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. After the fall of the regime, religious extremists began rising. Such extremists were suppressed under the brutal police state of Saddam Hussein. The presence of U.S soldiers and the ascension of Shiite government developed a dream environment for Al-Qaeda. The group posed as the Sunnis protector while forming alliances with both Sunni and Islamist insurgent groups. They started taking hold of territory in north-western Iraq. Many Sunnis turned against Al-Qaeda because of their brutal tactics and extremist agenda. Nonetheless, the “Islamic State in Iraq” survived (Manfreda, 2017). The group has persisted in targeting forces of the government and Shiites by carrying out car bombing attacks while increasing its operations in Syria.
It also led to the ascendancy of Iran as a regional superpower. The most significant regional enemy of Iran was Saddam Hussein, and the two countries fought bitterly in the 1980s. However, Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated government was now repossessed by Shiite Islamists who enjoyed close connections with the government in Iran. Presently, Iran is the most potent foreign actor in Iraq, with a vast intelligence and trade network in the nation although they are vehemently opposed by the Sunni minority. The fall of the Iraq regime to Iran was a geopolitical misfortune for the United States-backed Sunni governments in the Persian Gulf. The war between Iran and Saudi Arabia started since the two powers were fighting for influence as well as power in the region. As a result, the Sunni-Shiite tension increased.
Globally, the 2nd Iraq war increased more than one trillion dollars to the United States debt. There were increases in the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) budgets. The war also showed limits of US power in the Middle East. Many supporters of the Iraq war viewed the toppling of Hussein as the first step in the process of creating a fresh regional order that would do away with the dictatorship of Arabs. Nonetheless, the unintended boost to Al-Qaeda and Iran indicated the limits of the United States capability to change the politics of the Middle East via military intervention.
When the need or democratization came in the form of the Arab Spring in 2011, it occurred in popular uprisings. Washington could do very little to safeguard its allies in Tunisia and Egypt, and the result of this process of American regional influence is widely uncertain. America will remain the most powerful foreign actor in the Middle East for some to come, in spite of its reducing need for the oil in the region.
The Iraq war has substantially increased the number of terrorist groups globally and made the problem of terrorism even worse. The occupation by the US-British military and the disappearance of Saddam Hussein results in a significant rise in terrorist activity of Islamic origin. The extended invasion of Iraq, as well as the failure to put in place a well-functioning government that can gather widespread legitimacy and polices its territories, facilitated the motivations for and improved the capability of terrorist groups to develop and fight (Stern & McBride, 2008). The United States failed to recognize how a protracted war would be advantageous to organizations utilizing terrorist tactics by enabling them to train against the most sovereign army in history.
In summary, the 2nd Iraq war took place in 2003 when the U.S forces invaded Iraq because they wanted to do away with the threat of Saddam Hussein. The war created a humanitarian crisis in Iraq where many people have continued to lose their lives while others are fleeing to neighboring nations. The implications of the war can also be seen in the Middle-East region where it has facilitated the rise of Sunni-Shiite tension and Al-Qaeda.
References
Bassil, Y. (2012). The 2003 Iraq War: Operations, Causes, and Consequences. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences , 29-47.
Manfreda, P. (2017, May 22). iraq-war-effect-on-middle-east-2353056 . Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com: https://www.thoughtco.com/iraq-war-effect-on-middle-east-2353056
Stern, J., & McBride, M. K. (2008). Terrorism after the 2003 invasion of Iraq . 1-5.
