Justifying War

Suppose you were thinking about getting into a long distance relationship. To help clear things up, you ask your friend and he says "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Dating someone four hours away doesn't sound so bad, you think. But then you go talk to your other friend and he says "out of sight, out of mind." Uh oh. What is the right answer? In truth, neither. This is what can be called cliché thinking. Clichés are a mental crutch because they relieve us from having to think. It is dangerous to rely on them. However, clichés are not just for love. Students here at IU are now using clichés to justify their views on war with Iraq.\n"Make love, not war" is a cliché I have heard classmates say about a war against Iraq. It assumes war is wrong regardless of all circumstances, and therefore irrational. We as IU students need to ignore statements like this and think for ourselves.\nBefore we analyze whether attacking Iraq is just, we need to recognize two important facts. First, we need to understand "context." What events have lead to this conflict with Iraq? For those who say war is never justified, I would say that the United States entering World War II would refute your stance. However, most of us would agree that the Vietnam War was not our most shining moment. War is merely a tool of diplomacy that can be used to achieve either good or evil. If you still think war is never justified, I admire your idealism, but war won't be stopped by denying reality. \nSecond, the United States is not at war with Iraq. We are using the threat of force to prevent war. Imagine if President George W. Bush had not sent aircraft carrier fleets to the Persian Gulf. Do you really think Saddam Hussein would be allowing inspectors to search Iraq? Let's be honest. Saddam has kicked out inspectors over 10 times in the last nine years. If only IU parking operations were so forgiving. \nSome people do not believe that we have the right to make such demands from Iraq. Well, we do. A decade ago, Iraq attacked Kuwait. Saddam Hussein was subdued by the United States, and the United Nations told Saddam to allow inspections if he wanted to stay. This was to protect the world from Iraq's tons of biological and chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein gasses his fellow Iraqis, whom he "loves." When he says he hates the United States, it is clear that he was and is a threat to the United States. We reserve the right to inspect Iraq based upon the logical desire to guarantee our own safety. \nEven if our nation's security is guaranteed, we should still overthrow Saddam. Why? Saddam Hussein is the vilest human being on Earth, but many don't understand why. Here's a reason: He enjoys torturing people. Saddam electrocutes political opponents. He also gives them acid baths or makes them drink oil. When he's not feeling so frisky, he just yanks out their fingernails or rapes their wives. This is according to documents seized from Iraq by the U.N. Another good reason is that he is letting millions of Iraqis starve. Aid money is not sent to the country because it would only fund construction of Saddam's new lakeside mansion. When grain is shipped in, Saddam is in charge of it. His ability to control the food lets him control the people. The result is that Iraqis only get to eat if they accept life under the world's most evil person. We should overthrow Saddam Hussein because we are human beings who will not allow such barbarism to be inflicted upon our fellow men.