Iraq is an enemy of convenience in a war of necessity. The
long-term goal of any just war must be to promote freedom by
reforming oppressive governments whose disenfranchising policies
encourage international terrorism.
To start, I would not only like to recall the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks, but also the many other terror attacks against U.S. civil,
political and military institutions worldwide. The embassy bombings
of 1996, the attacks on the USS Cole and many other installations
nearby, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombings should remind us
that the War on Terror is long overdue.
Just take a look at any “first-world” nation from
the United States to Sweden, from Germany to Japan. You will find
that all are countries in which hundreds of years of political,
social and economic war or strife ended in strong economies, stable
boundaries and democratic rule. Coincidentally, these
“first-world” countries have no problems with
terrorists living inside their borders.
On the other hand, analogous states of the Arabian Peninsula
were haphazardly constructed at the end of World War I by England
and France. These states were nothing more than colonial
powerhouses, and their creators knew and cared little about the
people and places from which they drew diplomatically agreeable,
yet arbitrary lines.
Nearly 100 years later, the political states of the area have
changed very little and have only expanded their powers. These
states are dictatorships or absolute monarchies that guarantee few
rights to their people, such as the right to free political speech.
Even in “democratic countries,” like Syria and Yemen,
certain political parties operate in exile.
Many of the al-Qaeda rank and file hail from Saudi Arabia, from
whence Osama bin Laden was exiled for political dissidence (That is
to say, he had the means to buy his way out of incarceration.)
Almost all others hail from other nations of increasing social
disparity in which they have little to no leverage to control local
politics. As a result, they turn to terror in order to push their
agendas. Because much of their dissension lies in the realm of
international relations, much of their political angst is aimed at
foreign entities, like the United States.
There are many who disagree over the proposed war in Iraq. They
cite that it is a war over oil. Obviously, to engage in war as a
means to secure the rights to power an automobile is quite immoral.
Still, Middle Eastern oil is partly how the terror networks of the
region finance themselves. By going after oil, the United States is
punching al-Qaeda right in the gut. In addition, if the United
States would secure oil in Iraq, our oil-based needs would be
satisfied. We would no longer need to rely on oil-rich countries
like Saudi Arabia. Thus, the United States could put more pressure
on many unfavorable, but necessary regional allies, forcing them to
reform their oppressive regimes. In this way, these regimes that
disenfranchise so many, in effect turning them to terror, will have
no choice but to reform themselves.
Should the United States take on such a task, may God bless her
and ensure that her goals be carried out in good faith: fully,
safely, expediently and effectively.
Moseman is a fifth-year studying electrical engineering.