Iraq War and weapon technology

Iraq War & Weapon Technology

Iraq War and Weapon Technology

The "shock and awe offensive" against Iraq following the World Trade Center attacks in New York, USA by Afghan terrorist group Al-Qaeda brought into fore the unpopular issue of weapons technology among politically- and/or militarily-strong countries. With the ongoing Iraq War, both American and British weapons were 'showcased' and 'put to test' in terms of its effectiveness to threaten and curb terrorist attacks supported by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Ultimately, the offensive attack against Iraq was also the allies' (U.S. And Britain) way of reinforcing their power not only against terrorist groups, but also to anti-U.S. And Britain countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan (generally, Middle Eastern countries).

Early reports on the U.S. offensive against Iraq listed Warthog A-10 tankbusters, JDam smart bombs, and Bradley fighting vehicles as commonly used American weapon technologies. Furthermore, Gahan (2003), in his BBC report on the U.S.-Iraq war, reported that this offensive move by both U.S. And Britain are 'opportunities' wherein they can test the effectiveness of weapons they have been developing through the years. This angle in Gahan's story brings out two critical issues surrounding weapon technology and the politics involving it: first, the possibility that the Iraq war is more than just an offensive attack, but an avenue for U.S. To explore and uncover Iraq's weapon technologies, and second, the U.S.-Iraq wars raised the question on the effectiveness of weapon technology in curbing terrorism and deescalating political conflicts. What is happening in Iraq at the present demonstrates that while the war displaced Hussein as Iraqi leader, it did not stop terrorist groups from committing crimes against civilians, be they locals or Americans.

Indeed, the question of weapons as effective means to curb terrorism and implement 'compliance' in terms of weapons development, testing, and deployment has never been more crucially discussed and answered until the U.S.-Iraq war. The numerous weapons deployed by American and British military forces showed that despite their technologies in weapons development, they have failed to capture Al-Qaeda; at most, they have displaced Saddam Hussein, Iraqi leader identified as a supporter of the terrorist group. The primary targets of the war are still at large, rendering all use of American and British weapon technology useless and in fact, more damaging to Iraqi civil society.