Iraq

No End In Sight

American deaths in Iraq War- 4,363

Americans wounded in Iraq War- 31,557

Documented Iraqi civilian deaths from violence- 94,144-102,728

Cost of the war?

The war has cost an estimated 860 billion

dollars.

http://costofwar.com/

Paul Bremer, issued two sweeping orders in May 2003. One outlawed the Baath Partyand dismissed all senior members from their government posts, and the other dissolvedIraq's 500,000-member military and intelligence services. In November 2003, Bremerestablished a Supreme National Debaathification Commission to take out seniorBaathists from Iraqi ministries and hear appeals from Baathists who were in the lowestranks of the party's senior leadership. The party's foremost leaders somewhere from5,000 to 10,000 individuals, were not permitted to appeal their dismissals. Bremer’sFfirst order, lead to the dismissal of about 30,000 Baathists. After winning theirAappeals, about 15,000 Baathists were permitted to return to work.

Paul Bremer III signed the second Coalition Provisional Authority in May 2003, hedisbanded the entire Iraqi military. The move, which disbanded the entire Iraqi military,defied the Bush administration’s consensus view that 150,000 home-grown troopswould be necessary in occupying postwar Iraq, and caught the president off guard.the country’s alienated Sunnis began to lash out at the Shiite majority in anincreasingly violent manner, and the undermanned Coalition forces stood by helplessly. Bremer’s blunder had a devastating impact on Bush’s political fortunes. By the end of2006, 3,000 American soldiers had been killed in Iraq, and the president’s approvalrating correspondingly tumbled into the 30s. The Democrats took over Congress andlater the White House. The troop surge of 2007 may have saved Iraq. But had the Iraqiarmy remained in place in 2003, it would never have been necessary.

One thing that surprised me when I had watched No End in Sight was the way theIraqis lived. Of course I knew they didn’t live in very satisfactory conditions, butThe United States only portrays the US side of the war. They don’t focus on the Iraqiside, so that surprised me a lot. The thing that angered me, was of course, the waythe US is handling the situation, I don’t support the war. Therefore, I was angeredby the way they’re handling the whole thing, money, soldiers, everything angers me.

I think Americans should know everythingabout the war. I don’t support the war, andalso was not very informed. Which mayvery well be my fault, but even things I didhear, were nothing compared to this movie.This movie opened my eyes. Part of mewishes I had known more about the warearlier, then maybe I would have followedit just a little bit more. I just think Americashould be more open about the whole warin general, and not sugar coat anything.

I don’t think the US should plan interventions anywhere else. I think we need to focus onour own country, But if we wereto jump into another countryin trying to better them, wedefinitely need to have aplan, not just jump intothings and think weknow what we’re doing.

http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

http://costofwar.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/weekinreview/01glanz.html?pagewanted=all

http://2010.newsweek.com/top-10/history-altering-decisions/iraqi-army-disbanded.html

http://www.cfr.org/publication/7853/iraq.html