The Importance of Operation Iraqi Freedom
...It is sad that such acts of torture occurred every day, and became all too common under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. How can anyone argue that the Iraqi people are not grateful the United States took initiative in removing the source of these horrific acts? The Washington Post reports, hundreds of children ran to United States Marines, hugging them in appreciation for releasing them from prison. It is now evident that Saddam Hussein had ties with al Queda, the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks. According to the briefing of an Iraqi Intelligence Officer, Iraqi intelligence established a highly secretive relationship with al Queda. After 9/11, Hussein made special efforts to conceal this connection. However it was becoming dangerous as Hussein, with such power and wealth, supported terrorist organizations, providing them a place to gather and plot attacks. He also supported suicide bombers in Israel by paying the families of Palestinian bombers. Since his capture, the number of suicide bombers in Israel has declined, which could be due to their loss of support from Hussein. Therefore, not only is Iraq more secure since Hussein’s removal, but the world is a much safer place as well. War in Iraq was also necessary to keep the terrorists on the defensive, so that Hussein could not attack us or provide terrorists with financial help or destructive materials. Taking the fight to Iraq keeps them occupied in that country. We hear of the insurgents relentlessly fighting our troops in Iraq, but would we rather them be here? War is messy, it always has been and always will be, however this is the price we pay not only for our freedom but our homeland safety as well. Our troops volunteered for the duty of defending our country, knowing what was at stake, and they must continue to fight off the rebels. We must be thankful that the terrorists are battling our troops, who are trained to defeat them, instead of plotting or carrying out missions on our home land among innocent civilians and children. It is now important that the coalition does not waiver in establishing a democratized Iraq. If we look back in history to World War II where we helped set up the governments of Germany and Japan, we see that our efforts were definitely worth it. They are now seen as two of the strongest economies in the world. According to the World Fact Book, Japan ranks third and Germany has the fifth strongest economy world. Iraq has ideal resources to take on such expectations. The oil fields worth billions of dollars will help support their government. It is evident, Saddam Hussein used this money to build palaces for himself, instead of pumping it into the economy. A 1999 State Department Study reported that Saddam’s regime had spent 2.2 billion dollars building about forty-eight palaces since 1991. The total number of palaces is estimated to be somewhere between seventy and eighty. This shows Iraq has great wealth, which has been misused in the past. With the set up of a new government the money will build a strong economy in Iraq. This will lead to the creation of job opportunities in the commercial and industrial markets as well as in f...