Please post by Tuesday, March 12.
As we work our way through the issues that led to U.S. and coalition forces to invade Iraq, consider our discussion on the military-industrial complex. In hindsight, the Iraq war seems unnecessary. What role did the military-industrial complex play in our involvement in Iraq? Please refer to Eisenhower's speech or to specific historical circumstances in your response to explain how the war was sold to the American public.
Please post by Tuesday, March 12.
8 Comments
Emma D
3/11/2019 18:33:04
The military-industrial complex greatly influenced our involvement in Iraq and other wars because it created a new incentive to declare war. Now that people could make a profit off of war, many people were now in favor of unreasonable or unjust wars and they encouraged others to enlist in the military. Whilst men joined the military to fight these wars, many companies profited from the sale of weapons. This is exactly what Eisenhower warned the people of, but because of the necessity to be prepared at all times we need to have companies that produce military equipment all the time. War has become a money game and those in power encourage it as our first route even if we face an uncertain fate. The job of a soldier has become a pawn when it should be an honorable and strong job and the Iraq war has proven that we have wriggled ourselves into conflicts that have ultimately served the U.S. little to no benefit. The military-industrial complex has changed the way war is viewed and is the reason that war has become such a common occurrence.
Reply
Rafael L
3/11/2019 20:15:28
The military-industrial complex probably played a big part in our involvement in the war, because if a war started they would profit greatly. This technically means that they are trading human lives for money, setting a value on human life. Eisenhower warned in his speech how more than half the money we spend goes to the military-industrial complex giving them more power and making them even more greedy. They helped start a war with no meaning or objective and waste soldiers for more money. This is a great crime.
Reply
Sam K
3/11/2019 21:52:21
The military-industrial complex gave the government an incentive to declare war. People were angry after 9/11 and wanted someone to blame. US opposition towards Saddam Hussein was also high after the First Gulf War. These reasons were enough to push some people over the edge, but the military-industrial complex gave the extra push needed to get us involved in the Iraq War. Because those who made money off of war wanted to continue making money, they pushed for the war to happen.The government , many of whom wanted to start the war, were able to convince others that they needed to do so in order to maintain the relationship between the military and the war industry. This is especially wrong because those in government power often have personal gain from war (for example, if a congressmen was also part of a family who made ammunition). This has turned war into a matter of money instead of the people making a decision based on what they think is best, which although wrong in any sense, is a great crime in a democracy.
Reply
Celeste
3/11/2019 22:00:05
The military industrial complex had a tremendous role in our involvement in Iraq. Before the start of the military industrial complex, companies made certain items in peacetime and other items during war. Now companies make military supplies at all times, creating an incentive for war. This definitively had a big part in our involvement in Iraq. People were profiting off war. Eisenhower warned us against this in his speech. He warned us that profiting off war could lead to unjust or unnecessary war. The same people who profit off wars are also the same people encouraging people to enlist, basically selling people a war. One could say convincing people to put their lives on the line for a politician's personal gain. Though we may have had some valid reasons to go into Iraq, the military industrial complex really made a push for us going in.
Reply
Grace S
3/11/2019 22:36:59
The military complex created a whole new type of business that would destroy the real reason for war. These places that only work on items for warlike ammo, guns, and other weapons created a new job. This new job may generate an income for a family but creates more wars. The pattern of war after war is increasing the chances of a soldier dying and American citizen. The military complex had a substantial effect on why we were involved with Iraq for much longer than was needed.
Reply
Eryanna B
3/11/2019 23:58:34
The military industrial complex played a major role in our involvement in Iraq. War in this day and age is used in more so of a manner to make money. Politicians and industries that make weapons profit greatly off of war. When we begin profiting off of war, the incentive for war is great. Eisenhower directly warned us to stray from unnecessary wars just for profit. We then become a nation not ruling the war, but becoming ruled by war. Based off of my observations and my opinion, I think the United States benefits greatly from war. We have fallen into this military industrial complex, where we create weapons at all times, no longer just during war time. The United States did exactly what Eisenhower warned us not to do.
Reply
Derrick Nault
3/12/2019 07:55:06
I would say that the military-industrial complex had a hand in the iraq war, but maybe not as much as some would think. In any modern war, it must be assumed that the military industrial complex is involved because, as Eisenhower said, 3.5 million people as of his speech were employed by the “permanent arms industry of vast proportions”. When using GDP as a measuring stick for national well-being, going into any war will benefit these industries and raise the GDP— showing “economic growth”. I am not sure if there was a particular reason why the military-industrial complex should stick out in light of geopolitical or resource interests in the region, but it is certainly one of the many hands that drew us into an unnecessary war.
Reply
Madison K
3/13/2019 12:43:48
The military-industrial complex played a role in the Iraq war. The war was a profit so the United States thought it was a good idea to join.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorArchives
May 2019
Categories |