Involvement in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Involvement in Iraq - Essay Example After US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan on the premise that the two latter nations were involved in the generation and manufacture of biological weaponry, the US was able to quell international concerns of terrorism brought by the two Middle East countries (Tucker, 2010). However, even after quelling Iraq and Afghanistan’s terrorism threats, the US is still very much mixed up in Iraq and Afghanistan. This paper will question whether or not the US involvement in the two nations is necessary. It is irrefutable that the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan has ensured global peace and security. For almost a decade now, American foreign policy has been pegged on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the beginning of 2011, there were 50,000 US soldiers in Iraq and 100,000 in Afghanistan. The involvement of the US in both countries is still robust despite the decline of American soldiers compared to previous years (Rashid, 2008). This involvement is entirely uncalled for, and is rather improper. The US should no longer be involved in the affairs of Iraq and Afghanistan, especially because of the cost implication associated with such involvement. In American history, Iraq has been the second most expensive choice of war, after Vietnam in the 1960s (Tucker, 2010). In order to deter the further use of military and economic resources in the two nations, it is pertinent that the US seizes its involvement in the countries. While US troops were expected to leave Iraq by December 2011, several thousand soldiers remained. The main role of the troops has been to advise and train Iraqi police and military forces, as well as conducting antiterrorism missions. After the loss of 4,300 American lives and more than one trillion dollars, it is evidently time for America to cut its losses and accept the positive effects of the war and simply withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan (Woodward, 2010). War is a costly affair with regard to

Memoir Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memoir Assignment - Essay Example It was around 10 o’clock in the morning when the accident occurred. While traversing one of the many narrow mountain bends, our bus skidded off the road and plunged down a ravine. I remember screaming in horror before fainting. When I opened my eyes, the first person I saw was my grandmother. She was tying her scarf around my slightly bruised forehead. The badly dented bus was precariously perched against a small boulder on the edge of a thin ledge. I was relieved to find that my grandmother was not injured. She told me how the narrow ledge saved us (there were around 30 people in the bus), breaking the fall of the plummeting bus. There were many injuries but luckily none fatal. Some passengers tried to use their mobile phones, but encountered range problems. My grandmother was magnificent, going around bandaging wounds,comforting people, assuring them that help would come. Some passengers tried to use their mobile phones, but failed due to range problems. Help did come, and sooner that we expected. We later learnt that the driver of a car traveling some distance behind our bus witnessed the accident, and reported it at the nearest police station. A rescue team rushed out to our aid. Fortunately, the ledge on which we huddled was quite near the top (about 150 feet), and we soon heard sounds of cranes and winches being mobilized. Relief and excitement was very much evident among us as everyone started talking or laughing with some even crying. Our joyful celebrations were interrupted by a shrill scream. One of the passengers was an American tourist (we later learned her name was Linda) who was knocked unconscious during the accident. She had returned to consciousness, looked around searchingly, and started screaming that her little daughter Wilma was still trapped in the bus. We tried to tell her that help was on the way and specialized rescue workers would secure the bus soon, but she screamed that it may be too late.