The invasion of Iraq was not morally just as it was a preemptive attack on a sovereign state. While international law recognizes the use of preemptive military action, the same ought to be sanctioned by the Security Council (Devetak et.al, 2011). The invasion was devoid of this international law requirement thus a moral justification would suffice only if Iraq had attacked any of the invading country; which would make the invasion a just war. Again, religious groups, more so the Catholics opposed the invasion on the basis that it was morally wrong to use preemptive and unilateral military action (Fleishman, 2008). This lack of support from what may be regarded as the moral compass of the society attests the fact that the invasion was not morally just.
The invasion of Iraq was not financially viable as the cost of the war has far exceeded the initial estimates. It is estimated that the war so far has cost more than three trillion dollars against an estimated budget of fifty million dollars (Stiglitz and Bilmes, 2010). In addition there still many expenses that are being incurred as a consequence of the war. Moreover, the basis of the war was to make the world safer, a goal which the war has not attained. Governments still spend more on security. Accordingly, the war can be said to be an unnecessary financial expense.
The Arab spring cannot be directly attributed to the invasion of Iraq. This is because the main cause of the spring has been the oppressive nature of governments and its assigns. Perhaps its contribution to the spring is that it demonstrated that tyrannical leadership can be overthrown from power; which is the rationale for the spring.
Britain was not right in invading Iraq to sustain their relationship with the US. This meant that it prioritized this relationship over the interests of its citizens and the nation as a whole. The invasion caused adverse effects to the country more than it would have been subject to had it not made the decision. This means that it should not have prioritized the relationship over national interests.
It is the duty of the western world to assist in the quelling of the civil war in Iraq. This is based on the fact that the invasion was also meant to instill democracy and rule of law. Until such a time as the goal is attained, they have a moral duty to work towards it; which includes dealing with the civil war.
Reference list
Devetak, R., Burke, A. and George, J. 2011. An Introduction to International Relations.
New York: Cambridge University Press.
Fleishman, R., Gerard, C. and O’Leary, R. 2008. Recent Developments in Conflict
Resolution and Collaboration. 1st ed.UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Stiglitz, J.E. and Bilmes, J., 2010. The true cost of the Iraq war: $ 3 trillion and beyond,
The Washington Post, [online] Available at < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302200.html > [Accessed 13 March 2013].
