Why We Should Still Be in Iraq

Even though some of the reasons we went to war in Iraq in the first place don’t exist as a factor anymore, there are still many reasons why we need to stay in Iraq.  There is still a major threat to our national security, and if we leave it will be at a major risk to our countries safety.  Also, the Iraqi government and population as a whore are in major need of our help.  If we were to leave, their government would most likely be destroyed, along with their country.  Al Qaeda is another thing that would pose as a major threat if we were to leave not only to our country, but to the rest of the world too.  Their group is getting larger, more powerful, and more dangerous.  If we leave Iraq, it will cause a major risk to both the United States and Iraq.

Al Queda's Threat to the United States

The Evolving Al-Qaeda Threat

The large group of Al Qaeda is a major threat to the United States.  They are a very dangerous organized group that are very capable of committing terrorist attacks against us or attacking us or our troops in Iraq.  Al Qaeda is one of the major reasons that we are still in Iraq.  If we were to leave Iraq, it would be unknown what Al Queda would do to the United States knowing what they are capable of:  "Al-Qaeda remains a potent threat to the United States, its allies, and a wide variety of other states".  They are not only a threat to us, but also to any other country or state in the world.  They are capable of attacking any country, or even creating weapons of mass destruction to destroy a civilization.

Al Qaeda still a threat to U.S., intelligence chiefs say

Another huge threat that Al Qaeda posses is their increase in number and strength.  They are increasing in number, and training more people in order to become part of the Al Qaeda:  "The bad news is that a new influx of Western recruits – including American citizens – are being trained in Al Qaeda camps in Pakistan. These recruits would be able to more easily enter and move about the US than foreign operatives".  By there being more members of Al Qaeda, there posses a bigger threat to the rest of the world because they are getting larger and more powerful.  Also, by American citizens joining it, it makes it that much easier for an attack on the United States to happen.

The U.S. Fails to Find Weapons of Mass Destruction...Why Are We Still There Then?

U.S. calls off search for Iraqi WMDs

After going into Iraq and searching for a long amount of time, the United States came up empty handed on any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and called of searching for them:  "The search ended almost two years after President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, saying intelligence indicated Saddam was building weapons of mass destruction and may have hidden weapons stockpiles".  Although we did not find any of the mass weapons that we had expected to find, we remain in Iraq.  Why?  Because the threat of weapons of mass destruction, although being one of the main reasons, is not the only reason that we had invaded Iraq in the first place.  If we were to just leave Iraq after failing to find any of these weapons, the Iraq government would be destroyed, along with the rest of the country and its civilization.

CIA's final report: No WMD found in Iraq

"In his final word, the CIA’s top weapons inspector in Iraq said Monday that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction has 'gone as far as feasible' and has found nothing, closing an investigation into the purported programs of Saddam Hussein that were used to justify the 2003 invasion".  After closing investigation on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, it was not time for the United States to leave Iraq yet for multiple reasons.  One of the reasons that the United States needed to stay is that even thought there was not a threat of weapons of mass destruction anymore, there was still the threat of Saddam Hussein.  He still served different threats including terrorist attacks, armed attacks, and even the possible threat of the building of weapons of mass destruction after the United States stopped searching for them.  If the U.S. left Iraq after failing to find any weapons of mass destruction, along with the crash of the Iraqi government, there would be a great threat on the United States and the rest of the world from Saddam Hussein.



A U.S. soldier guards an underground ammunition storage bunker, containing no weapons of mass destruction.



Moving into Iraq to Remove Weapons of Mass Destruction

Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Most of the reason that Bush sent us into Iraq in the first place was to eliminate the threat of any weapons of  mass destruction to America or the rest of the world.  We wanted to make sure that Iraq was not holding any weapons of mass destruction since we had some possible evidence that they did:  "...he identified Iraqi use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against allied forces as an action that would lead the U.S. to seek the removal of Saddam Hussein from power."  The United States had the approval of the United Nations to investigate for possible weapons of mass destruction after the possible identification of these in Iraq.

Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs

The United Nations had administered an investigation about possible weapons of mass destruction, leading the United States into Iraq to search for these weapons.  Along with this, the United Nations set restrictions to Iraq with chemical and biological weapon making:  "Since inspections ended in 1998, Iraq has maintained its chemical weapons effort, energized its missile program, and invested more heavily in biological weapons."  This suspicion of weapons of mass destruction is what initially lead the United States into Iraq; to protect ourselves and the rest of the world from these mass weapons.

What Would Happen If America Left Iraq Now

What Would Happen If the US Left Iraq

If America were to leave Iraq now, it would cause chaos for the Iraq government and all their people.  They would most likely need a lot of money, and would have trouble sustaining their own country:  "'They're going to need money,' said Peter Khalil, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a risk-advisory consulting firm, and a former advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq."  Also there is a big possibility that a civil war within Iraq could form, affecting not only largely Iraq, but the rest of the world.  Because Iraq is a major oil mining country, if there were to be a civil war within Iraq after America left, there would be a huge reduction in oil exports from Iraq.  This would cause the price of oil from other parts of the world to rise, therefore effecting the whole world.

What Happens If U.S. Leaves Iraq?

Another greatly possible thing that could happen if America were to leave Iraq now is that Iraq's government would be destroyed, and would eventually break into three seperate nations:  "According to recent 'war games' exercises conducted for the U.S. military, the most likely outcome of a U.S. withdrawal is that the central government would fall apart and Iraq would effectively split into three separate nations."  Another possible (however unlikely) scenario is that once the U.S. left Iraq, Al Qaeda and Iran would take over Iraq, and terrorists would use it as a base for attacks on the United States.  All of these scenarios, this last one impeticular, are all very poor consequenses of the U.S. leaving Iraq.  This is why we must stay in Iraq; for both the good of their countries and ours.

Iraq's Current Threat to America

Attack Shows Lasting Threat to U.S. in Iraq        

By Iraq having or attempting attacks on the U.S., they are showing us that they still hold as a threat to us and our troops in the Middle East.  On September 5th, an attack showed just this:  "A group of at least six armed men, some of them rigged with explosives, attacked a rear gate at the base, the headquarters of Iraq’s 11th Army Division, which houses the command responsible for security in the part of the capital east of the Tigris River and a federal police brigade, as well as American advisers and the soldiers who protect them.  The insurgents detonated a vehicle outside the base, killing the driver, while another suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at a checkpoint. After an initial lull, as Iraqi forces collected the dead and wounded, the attack continued for three hours as two insurgents escaped into the building, firing automatic weapons and throwing grenades from an upper floor window.  At least 12 people were killed, at least four of them soldiers, officials said, and 36 others were wounded. The Baghdad Operations Command said that six insurgents had been killed."  This attack, killing at least 12 people and wounding 36, shows a definite threat to America from Iraqi forces.

Fears of al Qaida return in Iraq as US-backed fighters defect

One of the main reason we went to war with Iraq in the first place was because of al Qaida.  He was a major threat to our troops overseas and also to the American public.  Now that he is said to be starting to come back and put people together, he is again creating a great threat:  "Al-Qaida is attempting to make a comeback in Iraq by enticing scores of former Sunni allies to rejoin the terrorist group by paying them more than the monthly salary they currently receive from the government.  They said al-Qaida leaders were exploiting the imminent departure of US fighting troops to ramp up a membership drive, in an attempt to show that they are still a powerful force in the country after seven years of war."  Al Qaida is very capable of making a dangerous group that will threaten the United States immensely.

The Cost of the War

Estimates of Iraq War Cost Were Not Close to Ballpark

"At the outset of the Iraq war, the Bush administration predicted that it would cost $50 billion to $60 billion to oust Saddam Hussein, restore order and install a new government.  Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and critic of the war, pegs the long-term cost at more than $4 trillion."  The cost of this war is now estimated around $3.950 trillion higher than what it was originally estimated at.  Is it worth putting this much of our country's money out towards this war? With the original estimated cost of the war, it would most defiantly be worth invading Iraq.  But with the estimates now, which are very capable of increasing, we are just adding another $4 trillion to our national dept.

The true cost of the Iraq war: $3 trillion and beyond

Even with the cost of the war being at the $3-$4 trillion estimate its at, Stigiltz and Bilmes still seem to believe that that cost is going to be to low:  "But today, as the United States ends combat in Iraq, it appears that our $3 trillion estimate (which accounted for both government expenses and the wars broader impact on the U.S. economy) was, if anything, too low. For example, the cost of diagnosing, treating and compensating disabled veterans has proved higher than we expected."  With the original estimate of the cost at $50-$60 billion in 2003, then the 2008 estimate of $3-$4 trillion, and then estimated to be even higher in 2010, the cost is only going to get higher the longer the war goes on and the more we do with it.