A Look at the Iraq War And the Retreat of U.S. Troops

America has wasted many years in Iraq, unable to end the strife. It was not until Obama came into power that the decision to retreat was made. The mistake had been made, however, and nothing can undo it. This war not only cost America its international support, it showed international terrorist organizations its weaknesses, and also belittled America in the eyes of its enemies. These countries possess real weapons of mass destruction, but America can’t do anything about them. The irony is obvious when considering Iraq.

American forces began retreating from Iraqi towns on Jun 29, handing over the Iraqi Ministry of Defense building to the Iraqi government. This signals the end of the war America started in 2003. From now on, the Iraqi forces will take up the defense of its own country, including anti-terrorist operations.

Against the condemnation of the world, America invaded the sovereign country of Iraq, based on the argument that Iraq owned weapons of mass destruction. Since they moved without the authorization of the U.N., America brought much strong opposition from the international community on itself. The Bush administration thought that America, being a superpower, could do whatever it wanted. This war marked the decline of the American empire from its peak.

America Lost Support by Invading Iraq

Iraq had its problems under Saddam Hussein’s rule. However, what country does not? Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction at the time. It did not threaten its neighboring countries. There was no evidence pointing to Saddam or any fundamentalist groups planning terrorist attacks on America or Europe. The start of the problem was when America, with its strong military forces, took over the whole territory of Iraq.

The American troops disbanded Iraq’s police force, making the other allied forces take up the burden of maintaining law and order in Iraq. At the same time, international terrorist organizations recruited members from other countries to start “jihads” in Iraq, using a variety of ways, mainly terrorist attacks in towns, to exhaust the American troops.

Over 100,000 American troops were stationed in Iraq. But this was another major strategic failure by the American forces after the Vietnam War. To start with, the war was unjustified - America had no grounds to start the war. Even though some countries sent a small number of troops to Iraq in exchange for small favors from America, it was obvious to all that they made no difference. Secondly, the American troops had no clear enemies. The Iraqi forces were crushed easily. The new Iraqi forces fought as soon as they received training. The followers of jihads, who started the terrorist attacks, were nowhere to be seen. America’s hi-tech equipment against them was like killing mosquitoes with cannons. The Iraq war was not over. 130,000 American soldiers were still stationed there. Safety conditions were poor. The Iraqi troops still needed America’s military help to perform their duties. Because the situation was still not stable, the reconstruction of Iraq was beset with difficulties. The democratic system America enforced in Iraq made no impact on neighboring Arab countries.

America has turned its strategic focus on to Afghanistan. However, the experience of the Iraq war will not help America win the war in Afghanistan. The problems with Afghanistan cannot be resolved by war. The Afghan government needs international assistance in the aspects of politics, safety, economics, and culture, etc. In addition, America relies on an international front to stabilize Afghanistan.

Military Retreat Exposes America’s Weaknesses

The mighty American war machine wasted itself in Iraq for years, unable to resolve the conflicts, until Obama came into power and decided to gradually retreat earlier than Bush had planned. Nevertheless, the mistake had been made. There is no way to undo it. This war not only cost America the support of the international community, it exposed America’s weaknesses to international terrorist organizations and belittled America in the eyes of its enemies (such as North Korea and Iran). These countries possess real weapons of mass destruction, but America can’t do anything about them. The irony of the Iraq war is obvious.

America has broken its domination as the only superpower, a pattern of dominance that formed in the late Cold War era. America is unable to be the world policeman anymore. International order is starting to reshuffle, and America’s economic crisis has accelerated this process. The failure in Iraq has led to much reflection by the American public, contributing to Obama’s successful election. Obama, in response to the wish of the American public, changed America’s policy to Iraq and the Middle East. But as for the establishment of peace in the Middle East, the future is still unclear.

America has broken the domination of one super power formed in the late Cold War era. America is unable to be the world police anymore. International order is starting to reshuffle. America’s economic crisis has accelerated this process. The failure in Iraq has led to much reflection by the American public, contributing to Obama’s successful election, who, in response to the wish of the American public, changed America’s policy to Iraq and the Middle East. But for peace to be established in the Middle East, the future is still unclear.