What is the Purpose of the War on Terror? Essay -- Terrorism Essays

The War On Terror. It is a name that brings many strong thoughts and emotions to mind for Americans still to this today. It is has been Americas longest war, most expensive war, and a deadly conflict. All in all, the Iraqi War from 2003 to 2011 brought a cost of 500,000 lives from civilians to militants (Vergano 1). Among the U.S. army alone it is estimated that around 900,000 veterans have had some form of injury ranging from PTSD to amputations (Ruis 1). Not to mention, many experts say once all war reparations have been paid the war will cost upwards of three trillion dollars (Broder 1). That means when the math is done, if the war cost were to be split evenly among all American households, than every family in the U.S. would have to pay $75,000 (Auken 1). When President Barack Obama was campaigning in 2008 he once argued that through various taxes the Iraqi War (2003-2011) was and is costing each America household over $100 a month (Broder 1). With such catastrophic cost and toll s of the thousands of innocent lives where can the foundations for such a war effort begin? Throughout the years many eyebrow-raising statements have been brought up concerning the war, which quickly begins to make any war effort basis appear shallow and weak. Peter Baker, a former White House correspondent, wrote a book in which an anonymous senior Bush administration official is quoted saying, â€Å"The only reason we went into Iraq, I tell people now, is we were looking for somebody’s ass to kick.† In addition, General John Abizaid, a former head of U.S. Central Command and Military Operations in Iraq for 2007 said, â€Å"Of course it's about oil; we can't really deny that," in and interview with CNN (Juhasz 1). With such startling statements over the years... ...heridan, Kerry. "Iraq Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Since Start Of U.S.-Led Invasion, New Study Says." The World Post. HPMG News, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. Swanson, David. "You're More Likely to Be Killed by a Toddler than a Terrorist." Washington's Blog. Washington Post, 12 June 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Staff, CNN. "Bin Laden's Death: How the Story Unfolded." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. Gipe, Paul. "For the Price of the Iraq War, The U.S. Could Have a 100% Renewable Power System." Washingtons Blog. Washington Blogs, 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Templeton, Tom. "9/11 in Numbers." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 17 Aug. 2002. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. Vergano, Dan. "Half-Million Iraqis Died in the War, New Study Says." National Geographic Daily News. National Geographic Society, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.