Iraq War 2003 Is Very Controversial
The Iraq War 2003 is one of the most controversial wars fought by the United States and the United Kingdom in the half century since the Second World War ended in 1945. The machinations that led to Iraq War 2003 generated unprecedented levels of public protest, but more significantly, these also led to deep divisions, politically and diplomatically, between states. The administration would launch Iraq War 2003 on the justification of preemptive self-defense against Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the regime's support of al Qaeda.
When it became obvious shortly after major combat operations had ceased that the weapons of mass destruction did not exist and that there were no credible links between the regime and the al Qaeda, the Bush administration began to couch its justifications for the Iraq War 2003 in humanitarian terms. Justifying the Iraq War 2003 on the grounds of humanitarianism may have the opposite effect. It could lead to a backlash against humanitarian intervention and the support of the international community for such operations. It may be ironic if that were to happen, because it was precisely the U.S. intervention in northern Iraq in 1991 that ushered in a period of popularity for humanitarian intervention. On the other hand, Iraq War 2003 may have ushered in a period of antipathy towards the use of force for human protection. Years of repression and a decade of sanction had left the humanitarian in a very fragile state. Shortly before the Iraq War 2003 began, Iraq already had the largest number of displaced persons in the Middle East (about 600 to 800 thousand), internally displaced by Arabization policies and inter-ethnic conflicts. The humanitarian preparations seemed to be essential at the start of the Iraq War 2003. During the combat stages of the conflict, the aid community continued to gather resources to forestall a major humanitarian disaster. The United Nations issued appeals for assistance amounting to $2.2 billion. But like the anticipated major threat of weapons of mass destruction, the anticipated major crisis did not materialize. There was only significant temporary displacement as people fled their cities, fearing aerial attacks and government retaliation. The displacements all proved to be temporary, and most people soon returned to their towns. Instead of major displacements resulting from Iraq War 2003, major waves of looting, arson and general lawlessness occurred, all of which had significant adverse humanitarian consequences. Even the International Committee on the Red Cross had to assert that looting was compounding the difficult of delivering humanitarian assistance. UNICEF warehouses were looted. International organizations had to call on occupying forces to fulfill their obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention. These events after Iraq War 2003 may have dampened the enthusiasm for humanitarian action. |