What Were The Consequences Of The Iraq War

On March 19th, 2003, President George W. Bush announces to the world that the United States military would soon be conducting operations in Iraq to free its people. Only two years after the biggest terrorist attack on America, Americans no longer felt safe. President Bush stormed through Iraq in search of the alleged nuclear weapons Saddam’s regime was said to have only to come up empty-handed. He also accused the Iraqi government of harboring and supporting al-Qaeda. The War on Terror was still fresh in American minds and citizens and soldiers alike felt that they were finally fighting for something. Little did they know what they were doing over there would negatively affect the future of international relationships between the United States …show more content…
Before President Bush announced the decision for the Iraq invasion, he held a meeting with United Nation leaders first. When he proposed the Iraq invasion, two of the members, France and Germany, disagreed (Pirnie and O’Connell 64). France and Germany were emerging global leaders and held access and influence across Europe and the world. This decision damaged the United States reputation and relationship with these countries. A survey taken from approximately 1,500 adults after the first year of the invasion revealed that 54% of Americans said using military action in Iraq war was the wrong decision, only 38% agreed with the choice (Rosentiel). To many of the Middle Eastern countries, U.S. occupation and invasion of Iraq has created an image of the United States as an oppressive power bent on killing Muslims (Byman). Needless to say, international relationships in Europe and the Middle East that took decades to build, were being damaged by the …show more content…
The War on Terror has provided the U.S with a convenient rationale for extending U.S military involvement in areas that could provide oil for America (Klare 32). Some think that the United States were using the war as a front so they could obtain foreign oil. Another popular view was that the U.S wanted to establish a democratic ally in the Middle East to use as a “proxy state.” Many of the world 's largest oil reserves are in areas that are unstable (Klare 31). When the coalition forces invaded, some of the first sites they occupied were the oil fields. Most countries, particularly the West, thought that the US had invaded Iraq to promote democracy. But some nations, especially the Arab nations, suspected they were securing access to Iraq’s oil (Pirnie and O’Connell 64).Despite the evidence, President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld all claimed their intentions were not about