Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Bush Doctrine

WMDs! WMDs! WMDs! And English Prime Minister Tony Blair tells us, "The document discloses that his (Saddam Hussein) military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them." President Bush tells the nation at West Point in June, 2002 that "...Containment is not possible when unbalanced dictators with weapons of mass destruction can deliver those weapons on missiles or secretly provide them to terrorist allies. We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants who solemnly sign nonproliferation treaties and then systematically break them. If we wait for threats to fully materialize we will have waited too long... Yet the war on terror will not be won on the defensive. We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans and confront the worst threats before they emerge." As we go through the Bush Administration's rationale for the war in Iraq, consider the main elements of the argument. Iraq and Saddam had WMDs and the capability to use them quickly to strike the west. Additionally, we have the right due to the Bush Doctrine's idea that pre-emptive warfare is just. Post a comment on both issues. Did Iraq pose a threat to the U.S. and the world? Is the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive warfare and the creation of friendly democratic government around the world a "just cause" for war? Please post by Tuesday, March 19.

Lifeline

Read the story of Brendan O'Byrne and author Sebastian Junger. Junger said he wanted to answer the question, "What gives men the courage to fight and die for each other?" At the end, he says, "Courage is love. It’s a result of your affection for another person...It allows men to overcome their fear and inherent revulsion to kill another person." So after reading Junger's thoughts in the book and this article, answer the question on what gives men courage to fight and die for each other! What do you think about the courage of O'Byrne both in war and civilian life? Also comment about the courage of Junger himself. Give this thought and respond by Monday, March 11, 2013.