Motivations of War Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivations of War - Assignment Example The inefficient manner in which search operations for Osama-bin-laden was carried out showed that the American government’s interest lay elsewhere – namely the oil rich Iraq. The supposed presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the hands of the authoritarian Iraqi leaders Saddam Hussein is also proven to be a fabrication. Hence, the real motivation for the ongoing War on Terror operations seem to be to secure strategic material interests of the United States. In this process, the consequences for Iraq/Afghanistan civil society and its local economy is given scant regard. We could analyze the War on Terror operations within the framework of ‘Just War’ theory presented in the book â€Å"The Origins of War: Biological and Anthropological Theories†. Admittedly, the 9/11 terror strikes were heinous acts that cannot be justified under humanitarian principles. The 9/11 attacks were not an attack on the United States alone, but on all of human civilization. Continuing in this vein, one could argue that the threat posed by networks such as Al Qaeda is potentially as big as that of totalitarian rulers of the past, including Hitler and Stalin. Hence, it won’t be illogical to equate the ongoing military engagements of the United States to its major confrontations against Nazism and Stalinism. (Dowd, 2009) But those state apologists who make these claims do not make a serious effort to justify the War on Terror with the conditions laid down by the Just War theory, most likely because the case is a weak one. The invasion and occupation of Iraq is a breach of several of the Just War conditions, the most blatant of which is the numerous civilian fatalities that the war has caused. We also realize that the doctrine of Pre-emptive war, which was the cornerstone of the eight year term of George W. Bush, has several flaws in it.