DO YOU THINK THE CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AND POW ABUSES HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED BY THE UNITED STATES?

 Current debate over the ethics of war has in part been prompted by the American invasion and its ongoing presence in Iraq and the war on terror. For centuries, philosophers and leaders have tried to make rules for resorting to armed force and waging war. To obtain and maintain widespread moral support, a government strives to demonstrate that it is waging a just war. Today, however, many people in the United States and around the world question whether American policy has violated ethics of war. 

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into different targets in the United States. Thousands of Americans lost their lives. Most Americans wanted justice and punishment for those responsible for organizing the attack. The Al Qaeda organization was soon identified as the guilty party. After the Taliban government of Afghanistan refused to give up Al Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden, an American-led coalition intervened to force a change in the government of Afghanistan. The George W. Bush administration promised to prevent future attacks by taking preemptive action against America's enemies. In March 2003, the United States organized an invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Arguing its case before the United Nations (UN), the Bush administration's justifications included the presumed existence of weapons of mass destruction and links with Al Qaeda. The invasion and its aftermath has revealed no evidence of these charges and caused many to question whether the Iraq War was a just war and whether it had violated ethics of war and international law on a systematic basis. Opponents and supporters of current American policy are divided over issues ranging from justification for the invasion of Iraq to treatment of prisoners to civilian casualties. 

Invasion of Iraq

The Bush administration justified its invasion of Iraq in March 2003 by citing UN resolutions dating back to the Persian Gulf War of 1991. These included resolutions requiring Iraq to give up all weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and to allow inspectors free access to verify that fact. On November 8, 2002, Resolution 1441 was passed by the UN Security Council ordering Iraq to comply with earlier resolutions. The Bush administration cited this resolution, and Iraq's failure to completely comply, as justification for an invasion. Other countries—including France, Germany, Russia, and Syria—disputed this interpretation, believing that 1441 did not automatically give any country the right to use force. Countries that supported the U.S. interpretation included the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy. 

Following the invasion, investigations failed to show any ongoing Iraqi program of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon research. They also did not turn up ties between terrorist groups and the Hussein regime, implied by the Bush administration as justification for invasion. Opponents of the war in the U.S. Congress and around the world have used the non-existence of these weapons and terrorist ties as proof of an unjust war. However, the administration has cited such accomplishments as the end of Hussein's dictatorial rule, a new Iraqi constitution, free elections, and the promise of rights to the Kurdish minority as signs of a successful regime change. 

Treatment of Prisoners

Documented treatment of some prisoners taken in Iraq and in the war on terror are also considered by many as violations of ethics in war. At Abu Ghraib Prison near Baghdad, photographs and videos revealed that some prisoners were tortured and humiliated by coalition forces with methods that violated the Geneva Convention. As a result, 17 American soldiers were removed from duty and dishonorably discharged from the army. Seven soldiers were convicted by courts martial and sentenced to prison terms, some as long as ten years. Additionally, the commanding general of the prison, Janis Karpinski, was demoted to colonel. Disciplinary actions were intended, in part, to demonstrate that the United States did not condone such treatment of prisoners; nevertheless, the images and stories that emerged negatively impacted America's image. 


Stories also surfaced of prisoners—many of whom were suspected members of Al Qaeda—tortured at the Guantanamo Bay facility. The U.S. government has denied that these detainees have rights under American law. Instead, the Bush administration claimed they were enemy combatants, as if they belonged to organized military units. Prisoners have been subjected to interrogation methods ranging from sleep deprivation to extended periods of cramped confinement. The most notorious method used has been waterboarding, in which the subject is restrained on his back while his face is covered by cloth and water is poured on it. Intended to give the victim the sensation of drowning, waterboarding can result in pain, lung damage, and injury to the brain from oxygen deprivation. A public debate over whether waterboarding is torture took place. The Bush administration and other defenders of such methods asserted that the interrogation of enemy combatants allowed authorities to prevent a number of terrorist attacks. In February and March 2008, Congress passed a bill to prevent the use of extreme interrogation tactics and restrict CIA interrogation methods to those authorized by the U.S. Army Field Manual FM 2-22.3. 

Civilian Casualties
Many believe just war standards require a nation to use force that is proportionate to the results it hopes to achieve. The United States has been criticized for the large number of Iraqi and Afghan civilians who have been killed in the fighting in the respective countries. According to the nonpartisan group Iraqi Body Count, by May 2008, the number of Iraqi civilians killed since the invasion just over five years earlier was around 90,000—a figure based on reports from the media, hospitals, morgues, nongovernmental bodies, and government offices. Civilians have been killed by terrorist attacks and sectarian violence and by American military forces. Insurgent and Al Qaeda attacks have often been aimed at easy civilian targets, such as the March 27, 2007, truck bombings in a marketplace in Tal Afar that killed 152. American weapons such as laser-guided bombs have been used to kill insurgent leaders but may also kill and injure nearby civilians. As in any war, mistakes can be made by troops on the ground, resulting in civilian deaths by gunfire. Supporters and opponents of the American invasion continue to argue whether long process of establishing stability in Iraq after the fall of Hussein made the United States ultimately responsible for civilians killed by insurgents. 

Outlook

Whether or not the United States has failed to observe ethics in war continues to be a hotly debated issue. Consequently, it has divided the American population. Opponents of the Iraq War in Congress have demonstrated their position with public statements and attempts to block funding for the war. Increasing numbers of ordinary Americans have demonstrated against the war. In the election of 2006, dissatisfaction with the conduct of the war contributed to defeat for many Republicans in Congress who had supported the invasion. Many voters were unhappy with the progress of the war in Iraq under Republican direction, and wanted a change in leadership. The issue has also played an important role in the 2008 presidential campaign. Sen. Barack Obama has touted his vote against authorizing an invasion while criticizing Sen. John McCain for his early support. Opinion polls show that many Americans rank the war as a top concern when considering for whom to vote. 

Questions over the conduct of the Bush administration in pursuing the war in Iraq and against terror has also affected American standing around the world. Many people around the world polled by Zogby International view the American activities since 2003 as those of a self-proclaimed superpower for whom international law and custom have little meaning. They fear that American policy may have become based upon a sense of entitlement and unilateralism. As a result, recent military actions intended to increase national security may have contributed to an increase in terrorist activities around the world. Ironically, any failure to observe the ethics of war may have cost the United States one of its greatest weapons: the ability to cite the justness of its cause.