Iraq
The war in Iraq is one of the most prominent political American issues today. In addition to its prevalence on international news networks, it is also prominently on the minds and lips of many a critic. Mark Danner's article, "Iraq: The War of the Imagination" is a manifestation of this. In the article, the author addresses the discrepancy between the ideals upon which the war in its initial phases were built, and the reality of thousands of American dead today. At its core, the title, "The War of the Imagination" can be said to refer to the initial American, and particularly the governmental, idealism of the war.
Specifically, such idealism concerns the governmental ideal to build a democratic world by means of war. The "war on terror" is built upon two basic ideals: the American drive towards revenge on the one hand and democracy on the other. According to the article, the initial war focused very much on Sadam Hussein, and the eradication of the terrorist force. When this was accomplished, the ideal of democracy was used to justify further war. After several years of ongoing death and destruction, this ideal is increasingly shown as a product of a very idealistic imagination.
The author's argument is made all the more poignant by the non-emotional and realistic tone of his writing. The construction of his writing makes clear the discrepancy between the reality and the ideal of the war. Indeed, he uses not only his own ideas, but also adds input from other political writers and thinkers to substantiate his ideas. These elements add to the realism of his writing.
In conclusion, articles such as the one by Danner provides the American public with valuable bases for both critical and realistic thinking. The Iraq war is assuming crisis proportions. The public however has the power to end the atrocity and to restore to their world a much-needed paradigm of peace and realistic thinking.
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This is not to suggest that either the United States or the Soviet Union were necessarily desiring this conflict, because "based on the scattered evidence now available from Soviet archives," Stalin was "wary and reluctant" in his support of the North, and only finally agreed to offer military equipment and advice when it became clear that China would intervene should the Soviet Union fail to offer support (Cumings 144).
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