WAR WITH ROGUE NATIONS JUSTIFIED (3-3003)

A couple of weeks ago, polls showed just over half of all 
Americans favored a preemptive strike against Iraq. This 
week, two-thirds of Americans favor going to war to oust 
Saddam Hussein from power.

And that’s the way it should be as President Bush has made 
his decision to attack.

Opinions on whether going to war with Iraq is justified 
vary widely. Most people in the world are against it. Many 
Americans have protested for peace, holding that war with 
Iraq is premature or not necessary.

But regardless of one’s personal opinions on whether or not 
war is necessary, the fact is that this country is headed 
in that direction. And as war comes, America needs to 
maintain a united front against the tyrant of Iraq. The 
time for protest is over, having been replaced by a need 
for unity.

I don’t consider myself a hawk, but I have always 
maintained that if any regime poses a threat, even an 
indirect threat, to our country America should waste no 
time in counteracting that threat by any means necessary. 
If diplomacy fails, the only alternative is force.

The Bush administration has determined, probably correctly, 
that Saddam Hussein is a threat and will remain so in the 
future if he is not deposed. Many years of diplomatic 
efforts have failed. Therefore, it is up to us to remove 
him from power.

During the years of the Cold War, such a policy would have 
been much more dangerous. A unilateral attack on Iraq, or 
any other country in that area, would have brought 
immediate repercussions from the Soviet Union. The balance 
of terror would have become much more precarious. 

Today, however, the U.S. is the world’s only remaining 
superpower nation. The nations that once composed the 
Soviet Union are now more or less friendly toward the U.S., 
even though Russia does not always see eye to eye with us. 
Even so, it is incredibly unlikely that any country that 
was opposed to a justifiable war with Iraq will intervene 
militarily to stop us.

The Bush administration has identified an “axis of evil” 
consisting of rogue nations that support terrorism. Iraq 
was one of those nations. 

During these times when the U.S. has the military power, 
and the moral imperative, to bring down these rogue states 
that may one day threaten our existence through terror, we 
should take advantage of the situation by disarming them 
one by one. 

Although many countries would protest loudly, calling us 
imperialists or bullies, in the end they would feel more 
secure in the knowledge that terror-wielding rogue nations 
have been dealt with. Many may even thank us, albeit 
secretly.

It is important, however, that we take pains to assure that 
the nation building that occurs after a conquest takes into 
consideration the desires of the native inhabitants. We 
cannot go in and set up satellite governments, such as was 
done by the former Soviet Union following World War 2. 

The United Nations must be invited to get involved in 
establishing interim governments and in helping the locals 
establish their own democratic system. All minority groups 
within the conquered nations must know that they will be a 
part of any newly-established government.

It is also important that the U.S. not get bogged down, 
Vietnam-style, during any campaign to oust a tyrant. 
Nothing is sure in war, but we must have a good impression 
about how long it will take and plan accordingly. 

Some people will say that the U.S. should not take on the 
role as the world’s policeman. And maybe we shouldn’t have 
to. But as the only superpower, we are the only nation that 
can assume that role. And in order to prevent future 
terrorist threats, we must reluctantly take on the task.