War in the Middle East
Iraq
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| This is Saddam Hussein. He is the leader of Iraq and was believed to have WMD's |
There are many reasons that the United States went to war with Iraq. The most important though was that we had knowledge that they were producing Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD’s. The Bush administration believed that the rulers of Iraq couldn’t have Weapons of Mass Destruction because they would use them carelessly. Also the United States wanted to eliminate there harsh ruler, Saddam Hussein, because he was ruthless and horrible to the people. They wanted to liberate the people of Iraq. The Bush administration also said that there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda who was responsible for 9/11.
US Involvement
The whole reason for the war in Iraq is because of the United States. The United States claimed that they had Weapons of Mass Destruction and that Saddam Hussein was somehow linked to 9/11. Prior to the war the United Nations sent in weapons inspectors to investigate if Iraq actually had nuclear power or not. They concluded that they saw no signs of weapons of mass destruction. The US claimed, however that they had secret knowledge of WMD’s being produced by Iraq. The United Nations was completely against the United States invading Iraq along with the rest of the world. In the end, though the US invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003.
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| This is the seal of the United Nations. They were completely against the United States going to war with Iraq. |
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| This is the statue of Saddam Hussein falling in Baghdad. It signifies the end of his rule. |
The setting of the Iraq war was completely in Iraq. In the beginning when the US invaded Iraq, their main focus was to find and kill Saddam Hussein. The first major thing that they did was capture Baghdad, which was the capital of Iraq. Also before the invasion 100,000 US troops assembled in Kuwait to prepare on February 18, 2003. During the invasion the Special Forces led as assault on the Persian Gulf. They then helped the rebels and secured the Northern part of the country. Soon after this Saddam Hussein who was the Iraqi president went straight into hiding. May 1st was officially the last day of the invasion and first day of military occupation.
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| This is a chart depicting the cost of the war on terror. It just shows that no matter what happens the cost is continually going up. |
US Home Front
There were some major effects of the war in Iraq back in the United States. To date, the United States have spent over $500 billion on the war. Many people are also opposed to the war. The majority of the United States is opposed to it. No one is really sure why they are there and don’t necessarily believe the government’s reasons why we are there. Overall there is much oposition to the war in Iraq. The government has said that Saddam Hussein has had some connection to 9/11, but that is completely false. Also the United States claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction even after the UN sent in inspectors that said that they didn't. Some critics of the war believe that the United States is just over there to take all of there oil.
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| This is a political cartoon talking about former President George W. Bush and the war on terror. It is making fun of the fact that we are blatantly involved in the war with Iraq for there oil. |
End
The end of the War in Iraq was officially on December 15, 2011. It all started when Barrack Obama was elected resident of the United States in 2009. He said that there would be an 18 month withdrawal period but 50,000 troops would stay behind to help advise the Iraq’s. On September 1, 2010 the name was changed from “Operation Iraqi Freedom” to “Operation New Dawn” President Obama announced on October 21, 2010 that all of the troops over in Iraq would be home by the end of the year. Obama kept his promise and the last of the United States troops left Iraq on December 18, 2010.
Afghanistan
The cause of the War in Afghanistan was 9/11. On September 11,2001 a terrorist group from Afghanistan launched an attack on the United States. The terrorist organization was called al-Qaeda and the goal of the war was to dismantle al-Qaeda and end the group being in Afghanistan. Also the United States wanted to remove the Taliban from Afghanistan and help create a democracy. The United States also wanted to find Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Taliban, and put him on trial. The main cause of the War in Afghanistan was the attack on America on 9/11 by al-Qaeda. Everything that followed was a response to this.
US Involvement
The War in Afghanistan started because of what happened in the United States. Al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Centers in New York and caused this entire war. We went to Afghanistan to get rid of al-Qaeda and kill Osama Bin Laden. We also wanted to take the Taliban out of power becuase they were controlling Afghanistan. We have been there for over 10 years and are still fighting. On May 2, 2011 a team of Navy SEALS carried out an operation called "Operation Neptune Spear." The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) led it and it was headed by President Obama. This operation was successful and the whole point was to find and Kill Osama Bin Laden.
US Home Front
Causes
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| This is the symbol for al-Qaeda. They are the ones responsible for 9/11. |
US Involvement
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| This is Osama Bin Laden. He was killed on May 2, 2011 and was the leader of the Taliban. |
Setting
The war in Afghanistan is being fought primarily in the Middle East. Although they did attack us on our home turf, the war didn’t officially start until we invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. The United States along with the United Kingdom, Australia and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The current conditions in Afghanistan are only getting worse. President Obama sent 30,000 extra troops over to Afghanistan and the Afghan people don’t even want the United States there anymore. Most of the people of Afghanistan have had to live with our presence for a very long time and are sick of it. Overall this war has been completely fought in Afghanistan.
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| This is the World Trade Center in New York City. This picture is from before 9/11. |
Most of the United States were all for the war in Afghanistan right after September 11. Everyone wanted revenge and wanted to find the people who did it. On 9/11 about 3,000 people died and most Americans wanted a retaliation. This has also been one of the most expensive wars that America has been involved in. The United States has spent over $527 billion since 2001. The cost is still growing and will be growing everyday. It actually costs about $6.5 billion per month. There were many people who signed on to go to war the day after the attacks. American support was huge at the time. Overall this war is very expensive and has been felt on the home front.
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| This is ground zero. It is where the Twin Towers once stood. It is now a memorial. |
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| This is the Twin Towers during the attack. Through this you can just feel the fear & panic. |
End
The War in Afghanistan is still going on today. In 2010 there was an International Conference on Afghanistan held in London. 70 countries came together to try and initiate peace talks with the Taliban. The Taliban refused and there was lots of hostility in return. President Barrack Obama said that he hopes that the withdrawal date for the troops will be in 2014. 10,000 troops were withdrawn at the end of 2011 and hopefully by summer 2012, 23,000 more troops will leave Afghanistan. On April 18, 2010 the United States and NATO signed an agreement to lead the Afghans to combat, keep some troops in Afghanistan to help and give them billions of dollars a year to help with security after we leave.
Quotes
- My father, Frank Bertarelli, believes that we have no place being over in Iraq. "I'm happy that the war is over but I still don't quite know why we were over there in the first place." His opinion goes right along with most Americans not even knowing why we were there.
- Charles Brett Adams, a marine in the Iraq and Afghanistan war, shares a little bit about his time training in Kuwait. "...we started out in Kuwait, in a place called Mutalla Ranch, which was a very loose term for a ranch. It was nothing but a desert." He also said that that was his first tour and it was very interesting.
- My mother, Julie Bertarelli, thinks that we had all the right to go to war in Afghanistan. "They hurt us so we had all the right to go over there and find who did it." She is obviously very passionate about this.
- My uncle, Jacl Croghan, said that he doesn't believe the governments reasons for War in Iraq. "We're clearly over there for oil. I think that everyone can see that." He thinks the government should just come out and admit their fault.
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