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RETHINKING THE WAR IN IRAQ: A Human Impact Assessment




Jenkins Macedo, BSc., in Geography & Sociology
 Chief Investigator


An Undergraduate Research Paper 
in Geography of the Middle East


2010
  
Dr. Mohamed Eskandari, Ph.D.,
Professor of Middle East Changing Environment
Department of Physical and Earth Sciences
Worcester State College


ABSTRACT

On March 20 2003, the United States and her allies invaded Iraq with a promise of bringing a better life by a change in the political system. Using the language of “preemption”, President George W. Bush justified the war based on the assumption that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and also had links with Al-Qaeda. These assumptions were used to conclude that Iraq posed an imminent national security threat to the United States and her allies in the region (Drasner, 2009).
According to Robert (2003), the British and Americans governments already had made up their minds to change the regime in Iraq and were only looking for some excuse. What was supposed to be a quick removal of Saddam Hussein has turned into a prolonged war with no end in sight. Needless to say, a prolonged war has taken its toll on ordinary Iraqis. This study assessed the human impacts of the war on Iraqis, such as health related issues, the use of Depleted Uranium (DU), interruptions in education, and forced migration in the forms of internal displacements and refugees. Analysis was based on secondary data collected from Iraq between 2002 and 2006 as reported in series of surveys conducted by “Medact” a UK-based global health charity. The central research question that was explored in the study is what were the human impacts of the war on the Iraqi people?

Key Words: Iraq, American Government, Middle East, Terrorism, Preemption, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), President George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, Al-Qaeda, National Security, Depleted Uranium.



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