Post 13: The War in Iraq

                            The Iraqi war in 2003 occurred for several different reasons. Some believe that it was an attempt to gain access to one of the largest oil reserves in the world. Some believe that it was to hinder the attempt of a nuclear attack on America. It is also believed that we invaded Iraq to debunk terrorism and to maintain governmental freedom in Iraq. In retrospect, many believe that this attack was just post 9/11 paranoia. (http://www.e-ir.info/2015/03/09/one-war-many-reasons-the-us-invasion-of-iraq/)

                    The Gita’s justification of war is based on the Hinduistic belief that good souls and bad souls will ultimately end up where they need to go. The ultimate goal of Arjuna after consulting with Krishna was to eradicate evil within his family and land. In this sense, the Iraqi war was justified because Bush believed that Iraq was a clear and present danger to the sanctity of the United States, and he wanted to hinder the plague of nuclear weapons from entering into the United States.

                    The Art of War was moreso a strategy guide to war. Morals were only considered if it was a beneficiary to the war effort. One of the main strategies of The Art of War was to gain an upper hand in any way possible, regardless of the circumstance. The Art of War also states that no one has ever benefited from prolonged warring because that only dulls one’s armor and weaponry. In either sense, The Iraqi War was not justified by the Art of War since it strategically only made sense in one of many aspects. America had the upper hand throughout the entirety of the war, but the time spent there was more counteractive than anything.