I would like to start off my response by saying, I do not agree with the thought that some wars matter and some do not. All war should matter, the fact is that some matter in ways that others do not. Therefore, there are lines drawn in the sand between countries and between people. War is about motives, the misuse of trauma and the gain of advantage, profit and publicity. Within this short essay, I will be speaking about the different types of war, influencers, beneficiaries, victims and race, and how this influences the “importance/matter” of each war.
First, I would like to speak on behalf of all those who were lost in the war in the middle east, as well as the people who have been lost and continue to be lost in the war against Ukraine and Russia. Now, what are the motives of war? This depends on the location of war and the time/date of the war. Although, there is one reoccurring motive, and that is the search for oil. There is oil all around us, but that being the case, it is one of our main sources of power/energy. But oil is not located in only one place on earth, there are massive amounts of oil right now under our feet. Although there is oil underneath us it is still a battle of who has more of it and more of it to spare, in that case it is the middle east. From the YouTube video A Brief History of U.S. Intervention in Iraq Over the Past Half Century, Jeremy Scahill said, “One of the most significant things that happened in the early days of Qasims’ time and power in Iraq is that he announced his intent to seize 99% of the British owned Iraq Petroleum Company and of course this caused great anxiety in the centers of power in Europe, but also in the United States” (A Brief History of U.S. Intervention in Iraq Over the Past Half Century). This was only the beginning of distrust.
No longer were the United States nor Europe were profiting or gaining advantage from the middle east. This did not make them happy, so they help put worms in people’s ears to turn against each other, which caused the civil war in the middle east. The was the beginning of the wars in the middle east “not mattering,” especially to the United States. No longer did the United States or Europe benefit from the middle east without oil. The wars within the middle east gave the United States an excuse to move into the middle east and bring “help/enforcements.” Once we got out foot in the door, all hell broke loose, due to carelessness, we did not care who was who, we just wanted revenge and influence over Iraq and the middle east.
But this has severe consequences, Martin Asser from the What happened at Haditha? article said, “There were eight bodies in the house, including Safa's five siblings, aged between two and 14.” In this quote he is speaking on behalf of a young girl who played dead, when an American soldier came into her home and just started firing. Sadly, but luckily, she did play dead, so she could live to tell her family’s story. Never once did I hear about this in the new or on any social media platform, and that is because the importance of a war, speaking from the United State is whose side we are on. Although the young girl and her family did not harm or do anything against the United States, they were not on our side or from our side. Wars only matters to the United State if we are not the bad guys or involved. The ones that we entangle ourselves in, are the ones we want to hide and not publicize.
On the contrary, trauma is not only felt by those who have lost something to war, but also deep within the United States’ core and the rest of this God forsaken world. This is the war of race. From the What happened at Haditha? article, Martin Asser said, “Two had their charges dismissed by a military court in the US, but Lt Col Jeffrey Chessani became the most senior US serviceman since the Vietnam War to face a court martial for actions in combat.” (What happened at Haditha?) This is an example of how wars are not seen and then labeled as they do not matter. There is not enough justice for those who have been lost and sadly many of them are people of color or minority. Then on the other hand, the one’s in the wrong are spared or let off with a general/questionable sentence.
In conclusion, this is where the two very significant wars tie in together, the war in Iraq and the war in Ukraine. The people of Iraq are those of color and continuously get short handed within the United States and throughout the rest of the world. I think the big play in this is because of their race. Whereas if we look at the war in Ukraine, most of these people are white, and they are getting the attention of the media. Overall, the greatest war we have yet to ascend from is the war of race.
Sources:
“What Happened at Haditha?” by Martin Asser, March 10, 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5033648.stm
"A Brief History of U.S. Intervention in Iraq over the Past Half Century" by Jeremy Scahill and Produced by The Intercept, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYAlSNiFpTc
“As Europe Welcomes Ukrainian Refugees, it Leaves Other Migrants Caught Between Two Deaths,) By Max Granger, March 8, 2022, https://theintercept.com/2022/03/08/ukraine-refugees-europe-border-policy-libya-sally-hayden/
Regan, very apt analysis, about the violence caused by neocolonialism. I also really liked how you emphasized about the importance of testimony to these events, like that little girl who had survived her family's massacre by playing dead. Unfortunately, the U.S. has quite a history of persecuting and prosecuting those that they have the power to, for testifying about the horrors perpetrated by the U.S. in the Middle East (i.e. Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning).
Regan, this was a very moving and inciteful piece. I agree that America and the EU cared more about the oil in the middle east than they did about the peoples lives they were affecting. I thought your quote about the girl playing dead was very important in showing the way American troops can behave while getting little to no reprecussions. Overall I thought your piece was very balanced and focused on some very important topics.
Of course, one would expect the question to be difficult to take humanly speaking because first of all it is obvious that everyone should care, but there is also the part where it is more that this question should not even be asked and that wars should not occur. We would like to live in a world where there is world peace, but unfortunately this is not it. I really like the way you bring out the reasons why wars happened and their consequences. And let’s not forget the big player of the war clearly the race. Good job, Regan!