David Wang

Period 3
March Essay – Working Copy
AP Eng. Lang. & Comp.
Sullivan

John McCain: The Engineer of War

It seems like the world is a small place. The United States of America certainly
thinks so. The States have embassies and militia units deployed all around the world, with
a subconscious intent by thinking that it has international right to occupy these territories.
The situation has taken presence again in recent headlines with the 2003 invasion of the
Republic of Iraq, housing a highly controversial U.S. conflict against a terrorist
organization known as Al Qaeda and other guerilla forces. Republican party presidential
candidate John Sidney McCain III is a firm believer in the continuum of quartering troops
in the country, and his views are rooted in the essence of the Grand Old Party. However,
furthering the conflict between the Middle Eastern guerilla terrorists and United States
military force may not produce a fruit that is necessarily healthy for the well-being of the
home country, and may on the contrary produce results that are instead detrimental to the
United States on both domestic and international terms, fueling the fire for a collapse of
factors such as economy, power, and influence among nations. McCain’s policies on
staying in Iraq in a fashion similar to that of troops in Germany and eastern Asia may
certainly prove to be the start of a conflict much greater and much more costly that the
quarrels we see today in heart of the Middle East.
Any war, no matter what the magnitude, is still a war. The Iraq War can hardly be
compared to a slaughter such as Vietnam, or a fight for global domination such as the
World Wars, but it is nonetheless an act of belligerence between two nations. As history
can easily prove, any acts of warfare comes with a price tag that requires quite a number
of piggy banks to be smashed, a number of graves to be dug up, and certainly a large
number of sacrifices to be made. According to Nobel Prize winner in economics Joseph
Stiglitz in the March 2, 2008, article “Iraq War Hits U.S. Economy”, the war itself has
cost $845 billion. However, the cost to the economy is 4-6 times larger, at an estimate
Stiglitz deems near $3 – 5 trillion. Stiglitz also spoke to the recent U.S. recession
witnessed by economists, and commented that, “We were living on borrowed money and
borrowed time…and [a day of reckoning] has now come.” Furthermore, he believes that,
“The war had led to high oil prices.” (Reuters) The human lives that are lost have also
been a heavy hitter for the country. According to the Opinion Research Business (ORB)
poll conducted from August 12-19, 2007, Iraqi civilian deaths are estimated to be from
946,000 – 1,120,000, with a more specific estimate placed at the 1,033,000 mark. As of
February 25, 2008, Cable News Network (CNN) has reported United States Armed
Forces casualties to be up to 3,972, and Times Daily reported on January 1, 2008, that
2,017 Iraqi Security Force police were killed, and 432 of Iraqi Security Force soldiers
were reported dead as well. This was an increase from the previous year’s numbers,
which marked a total of 2,108 Iraqi Security Forces killed, out of a total of 16,237 deaths
reported, according to the Associated Press (AP) on January 2, 2007. Though these
numbers are not comparable yet to the 1.4 million militia killed in the 84,000 dead U.S.
Armed Forces witnessed in Vietnam during the 1970’s, what is to stop a sudden catalyst
of belligerence if the current violence persists in Iraq? United States presence results in
costs through economics and mortality, and is detrimental to the welfare of the state and
its people.
The war has not been well received by a majority of the world. Its international
legality has been a huge topic of debate. According to former United Nations Secretary-
General Kofi Amman on September 16, 2004, he had, “…indicated [the Iraq War] was
not in conformity with the UN Charter…it was illegal.” (BBC) Pentagon war hawk
Richard Perk even admitted on November 20, 2003, “international law…would have
required us to leave Saddam Hussein alone.” (Guardian) Support for the war has not been
an encouraging sign for pro-war supporters. The Columbia Broadcasting System
(CBS)/New York Times poll conducted from February 20-24, 2008, reported that, out of
1,266 individuals, 391 were pro-war (31%), 823 were anti-war (65%), and 52 were
neutral (4%). Allies of the United States, such as France, Germany, and Russia, as well as
business partner China, have all condemned the war, as has the Vatican, according to Fox
News on March 12, 2003. Nelson Mandela stated on September 11, 2002, a year after the
9-11 terrorist attacks on New York, NY, that, “…the attitude of the United States of
America is a threat to world peace.” (BBC) Even Iraqi citizens, according to a British
Broadcasting Company (BBC) poll, feel that U.S. presence is insensible and the true
threat, with 78% of 2000 opposing the pure presence of the coalition forces, 6% believing
the presence worsens the situation, and 51% finding attacks against coalition forces as
“acceptable.” Though support has been garnered for the war being fought in the Middle
East, the majority of the masses have risen up against it, and a continuum in troop
presence would not be serving the best interests of the people and the world.
John McCain stated on January 3, 2008, that he would like to maintain troop
levels in Iraq for a hundred years, as “…we’ve been in Japan for 60 years, [and] we’ve
been in South Korea for 50 years or so.” (Dallas Morning News) However, is it necessary
to utilize the resources that our nation has garnered and throw it into the pits of war to
engineer violence and death in the Republic of Iraq? The United Nations opposes the war,
our allies oppose the war, our taxpayers oppose the war, and yet our politicians still
support it? Is a democratic nation not supposed to listen to the will of the people? If John
McCain usurps his position on pro-war if he is elected into office as the 44th President of
the United States of the America, he will take not only that position, but also the positions
of the architect, the carpenter, and the engineer of war for the nation.