Foot Binding in China - 1784 Words

In all societies, it was very common to have unequal treatment to men and women with the justification being the gender. This shaped the attitude and behavior of people. This commonly occurred to values, norms, customs, and laws in all societies. In the traditional Chinese society, it was very common for the bride to obey her parent-in-laws, do housework, and have a low social status within and outside of the household. Ancient China based its livelihood off of Confucian principles. Confucian principles act as a guide for the people to live and behave according to. Confucian principles included relationships such as the relationship of the emperor to his subjects, a father to a son, elder brother to younger brother, husband to wife, and friend to friend. Traditional China functions on these principles to guide the peoples’ lives. Women living in a Confucian society played a limited gender role. Confucian principles were instilled very deeply into the Chinese society; it was pr actice throughout Chinese history. Some practices of Confucianism are practiced to this day. Women did not share the same privileges as men in a traditional Confucian society because their role was to be the house wife that society shaped them into. The family structure in China resembles the family structure of agricultural civilizations. It accentuates the importance of unity and strength of the husband and the father in the family. Confucianism, although a religion/philosophy that beholds manyShow MoreRelatedWomen Should Not Be A Mandatory Procedure For Chinese Women843 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history, women have tried many different ways to make themselves as beautiful as possible to be accepted into their society. In the eleventh century, Foot Binding seemed to be a mandatory procedure for Chinese Women. It was an excruciating process that women would go through to please their husbands. Foot binding became popular as a means of a flaunting status because women from w ealthy families who did not need them to work could afford to have their feet bound The practice became soRead MoreFoot-Binding Essay1615 Words   |  7 PagesThe practice of Foot-Binding entered into Mainstream Chinese culture around the 12th and 13th centuries (Feng 236), a time when the emerging conservative movement and the creation of a new social class system severely lowered the status of women. The restructuring of the social class system was driven by new and increased prosperity and created a new and higher standard of living that was enjoyed by the new upper class of scholars and farmers. The higher standard of living of the once lower statureRead MoreEssay about Womens Roles In China915 Words   |  4 Pages Women in China at the beginning of the twentieth century China was suffering a great loss at the beginning of the twentieth century since half of its citizens were not able to contribute much to the country. The Chinese society at that time was male dominated, so though women comprised almost half of the total population, they had actually very little part to play in uplifting the country economically, socially and intellectually. Nevertheless, Chinese women should not be blamed for that. TheyRead MoreHow Does Gender Equality Affect A Little Change?879 Words   |  4 PagesToday, I would like to talk about gender equality in China. The aim of my presentation is to raise awareness on gender equality and hopefully to influence a little change. Emma Watson made a speech about HeforShe at United Nations last year and the speech made me realize gender equalilty concerns everyone. So what actually is Gender Equality? Gender equality, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. That women are as in cluded as men in the societyRead MoreBody Modification : A Common Delicacy1539 Words   |  7 PagesIt is unsure of when body modification actually started to appear, but many date it as far back as B.C. times. The modification is more known from the Song Dynasty when foot binding became very popular among young girls wishing to marry—up to present day time. Scarification, tattoos, piercing and plastic surgery are just a few of the changes that can be made to the body. But with all these practices to change, or â€Å"fix†, the body can we stop and ask the question: is it really worth it? While someRead MoreFoot Binding is Viewed Differently in Different Cultures1145 Words   |  5 Pagesears pierced, or something to the extreme, such as pearling (inserting small beads underneath the skin of the genitals). However, the act of body modification is something that has been in nearly every culture since the beginning of time. Foot binding is now considered a very extreme and cruel form of body modification. It is almost near impossible to find information on the subject without it being shed in a negative light. The important thing to remember, however, is that body modificationRead MoreThe Role Of Women During The Chinese Society1485 Words   |  6 PagesThe role of women in the family in traditional China was one of subservience and deference to men. Women were thought more of as property rather than important members of the family unit. Their main purpose was to serve and be pleasing to their husbands, fathers and even brothers regardless of how it affected them. They lived under the dictate of their parents until they were married and once married lived under the rule of their husbands. They had few rights and were not allowed to own propertyRead MoreSnow Flower And The Secret Fan Summary997 Words   |  4 Pagesreflects back on her life in China during the 1800’s. Lily’s story begins in her early life when she is six years old a diviner and matchmaker, both tell Lily’s mother to take special care with her foot binding for she had the potential of having them be perfect. The story continues through the process of Lily and her surrounding female relatives foot binding experience until she is eleven and her feet have healed perfectly resulting in the golden lotus. This perfect foot binding grants her an immediateRead MoreEssay on Women’s Role in China1280 Words   |  6 Pages Women’s Role in China The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: Its a girl. -Shirley Chislom- Women have had changing roles in every society for centuries. Depending on the country, some women have had a harder time achieving equality. One of these countries is China. These women have faced such obstacles as foot binding to concubines. Until the twentieth century women were not considered equals in their society. Many cruelRead MoreOppressive Fashion1060 Words   |  5 Pagesoppressive clothing and fashion. The corset, the practice of foot binding, and hijabs were all massive parts of oppressive fashion. Each served a specific purpose, but hindered women at the same time. Foot binding was a practice in China that began around the 10th century. It lasted for a very, very long time in history – all the way up until the mid-20th century. Foot binding consists of pressing the toes up against the sole of the foot and tying it there. This was done to girls around age 5. The

Parental Relationships In Romeo And Juliet - 1329 Words

Since reading has been around, it has been used to educate. Romeo and Juliet has been around for what seems as long as literature itself, and is still used to teach today.Written in the 1590’s, the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet is about the untimely death of two star crossed lovers, despite their feuding families. Throughout reading, it becomes clear that the attitudes of the Montagues and Capulets, Friar Lawrence and the Nurse fulfilling parental roles, and Juliet’s forced marriage caused the shocking deaths of the pair. If the parents of the two young lovers could have looked past their differences and let their children decide who to love, they could have spared themselves the heartbreak of losing their children. Parents have always†¦show more content†¦Yet, the parents shift in attitudes end up driving Romeo and Juliet to the inevitable. One of the biggest influences on someone doesn t even have to be related to them. This is the case for Romeo and Juliet, who have Friar Laurence and Nurse to influence them greatly. At first Friar is seen as the good guy in this play, but upon further inspection, it s easily seen that he is one of the bad guys. He is Romeo’s confidant throughout the story, so he ends up giving the most advice. Friar Laurence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in secret, in hopes of turning the families feud into love, even though he didn t think it was a good idea at first. Within the first speech Friar gave, he states that he will proceed recklessly (Boyce 512). This only shows that he is worried about executing his ideas, which ends up throwing the lovers towards their deaths. Not only that, but Friar Laurence came up with the idea to have Juliet fake her own death, and advises her to go against her parents wishes to marry Paris because he didn t want to tell them she was already married to Ro meo. Thus providing proof that the impact he has on Romeo and Juliet s decisions is great enough to the point where he made Juliet believe her only way out of marrying Paris, was to pretend to kill herself. Furthermore, it also shows how he doesn t have the best decision making skills and is a character who tries to save himself from punishment. Nurse is another character who acts asShow MoreRelatedRomeo Juliet - Parental Relationships1889 Words   |  8 PagesShakespeare: Romeo amp; Juliet Parental Relationships – Sample Essay 1 Explore the way Shakespeare presents Juliet’s changing relationship with her parents to the audience during the course of the play. Juliet’s relationship with her parents changes during the course of the play, she is shy, obedient and behaves in a way that is typical of a wealthy daughter of the time. By the end of the play she is disobedient and becomes very independent. The storyline of the play is about A young boy andRead MoreParental Relationships In Romeo And Juliet1951 Words   |  8 Pages Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well known plays produced by William Shakespeare. I think that by producing this play William Shakespeare wanted to show how life was for women in a patriarchal society (society ruled by men). In those times women began life as a property of their fathers and as they got married they were property of their husbands. The average age of marriage for women of nobility was 14 years old. Marriage was usually organised by the parents of both families and were arrangedRead MoreRomeo and Juliet Are Failed by Their Parental Figures, Discuss835 Words   |  4 PagesWithin the story of Romeo and Juliet the parental figures with responsibility over the children are not just the biological parents, however in the time when the play was written, this would have been normal for the rich, upper class families that the Montague’s and Capulet’s were. The parental figures over the two children change as their relationship between the two lovers develo ps and other events occur within their family lives. Juliet is the main focus of the changing in parental figures and thisRead MoreThe Role Of Parents In Romeo And Juliet906 Words   |  4 Pagesthe play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, parents greatly impact their children’s lives. While the parents in the play do not control every aspect of the youth’s lives, they still affect a large proportion. Long-term parental relationships play a huge role in children’s lives while short-term friendships and romantic relationships are affected by parental relationships in life and in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The relationship between parents and childrenRead MoreHardships In Romeo And Juliet940 Words   |  4 PagesDeep in the mind of famous play writer William Shakespeare lies, the brilliant story of Romeo and Juliet, the story that not only captivates and thrills reader’s minds but offers insight to how a flawed relationship can end in a tragedy. Unfortunately, due to sin, all relationships including that of Romeo and Juliet’s have their ups and downs. Today the most commonly known flawed relationship is the relationship between a teenager and parent. Perhaps this is because of opposing ideas or lack of communicationRead MoreAnalysis of Friar Lawrence and the Nurse1075 Words   |  5 Pagesthe play. Do these two people do the â€Å"right thing† by Romeo and Juliet? The nurse and Friar are sophisticated characters that act as parental figures within the prolix and truculent play. The timeless classic Romeo and Juliet (RJ) by William Shakespeare revolves around the notion of determinism, death, love and deception. Despite Romeo and Juliet having warring parents who pay little regard to them, the Nurse and Friar act as parental figures towards them who guide through vexed situationsRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Essay1152 Words   |  5 PagesIn William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet have both their literal mothers and fathers. However, they have other parental figures in their lives as well. A parent or guardian is someone who watches, protects, gives advice to, and loves their child, whether they are related biologically or not. Juliet’s parental figure is the Nurse. The Nurse has been there since the time Juliet was born. Romeo’s parental figure is the Friar. Although Romeo and the Friar had not known each other their Read MoreThe Love in Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare883 Words   |  4 Pagesand have it. In this play by Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet the word love is shown in many different ways. There is the love that Romeo and Juliet fell in which you can actually put into many different types of love. Then the way Romeo loved Rosaline is another way. And the way the nurse cared for Juliet is yet another type of love shown. In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, these types of love are romantic, unrequited, and parental. One topic of my paperRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1243 Words   |  5 PagesShould one of Shakespeare s most famous plays, Romeo, and Juliet, be removed from the freshman English curriculum? Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare and is a tragic play about two star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet, the two main character, deny their family’s feud and choose to fall in love, but the choices they let others and themselves make lead to their untimely death. The classic play was written in mostly sonnets, a form of poetry and contains most of the English literatureRead MoreThe Role of Parents in Shaping a Child ´s Future Essay examples1239 Words   |  5 Pages This paper will examine the idea of nature vs. nurture and relationships between parents and children in the play Romeo and Juliet and the modern world. I decided upon researching this topic because I find it fascinating that both personality characteristics and social and ideological beliefs are passed from parent to children, whether genetically, or simply the manner in which the child is raised. Those traits (and current parental influence) then determine who the child is, will be, and what

F SCOTT FITZGERALD Essay Research Paper free essay sample

F SCOTT FITZGERALD Essay, Research Paper F. SCOTT FITZGERALD DIANA CHOW 03/25/96 Welcome to the boom 1920 # 8217 ; s! The Jazz Age. A period within clip which the passive behaviours, beliefs, and pureness of the past coevalss, were tossed aside to make room for the alterations America was about to see! The birth of independent vote rights for adult females, showering parties, and where exhilaration was to be found in every corner. This was the epoch in which the people were considered the # 8220 ; Lost Generation, # 8221 ; and from this environment emerged a high author of those times. Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Born to the composure and submissive ambiance of St. Paul Minnesota, he came from a line of extremely regarded work forces and adult females from his household # 8217 ; s yesteryear. His most celebrated relation by far was Francis Scott Key. The author of our national anthem. Though he was surely the most celebrated Fitzgerald, his female parent was the most bizarre. We will write a custom essay sample on F SCOTT FITZGERALD Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Often dressed in miss-matched places and had a curious behaviour, she at one clip stared at a adult female whose hubby was deceasing and said: # 8220 ; I # 8217 ; m seeking to make up ones mind how you # 8217 ; ll expression in the mourning. # 8221 ; # 8220 ; I helped him by promoting his impulse to compose escapades. It was besides his best work. He did non reflect in his other topics. It was the pride in his literary work that put him in his existent bent. # 8221 ; Recalls his St. Paul Academy instructor. From that esteemed school he so traveled and began attendance in Princeton University. Not a promising pupil he was frequently late to his categories. His alibi was one time # 8220 ; Sir-it # 8217 ; s absurd to anticipate me to be on clip. I # 8217 ; m a mastermind! ! ! # 8221 ; Though the # 8220 ; Princeton old ages # 8221 ; we non his most memorable, it provided an mercantile establishment for his authorship, and endowment. During his junior twelvemonth he left Princeton and entered the ground forces in 1917. Though he was neer sent to conflict degree Fahrenheit or his state, there he began work on the short narrative, The Romantic Egoist, which was published as This Side of Paradise. Though rejected it subsequently returns as a imitated countrywide esthesis. When clip and America began germinating, so was his work get downing to have its clip awaited congratulations. The Wind Age had arrived! By this period Fitzgerald had already found his love and married the enrapturing Zelda Syre. She was an complete author, concert dance terpsichorean, and painter. Though every one of these qualities were parts to her graphic personality, her defects were seen by many! # 8220 ; Her discourtesy, selfishness and deficiency of ego restraint! She abuses work forces awfully so cuts and interruptions day of the months with them, oscitances in their faces, and they come back for more! # 8221 ; recalls Fitzgerald. As the jaded, rebellious # 8220 ; flaring youth # 8221 ; of the new epoch went on, it brought life to Fitzgerald # 8217 ; s narrative which became and instant hit. This Side of Paradise. And during America # 8217 ; s decennary of prosperity, surplus, and abandon, he became celebrated as the spokesman for the Jazz Age. He continued to compose, and he so achieved his strongest and greatest work which described the failings and the ideals which America lost. The Great Gatsby. Now considered a authoritative of our times, it marked the beginning of the writer # 8217 ; s diminution in popularity. This and several other factors effected his authorship. Zelda # 8217 ; s schizophrenic disorder, deficiency of inspiration, attempts in staying a good male parent for his girl Scottie, and fiscal troubles. # 8220 ; # 8230 ; Ability to comprehend the world behind the glistening carnival, the face behind the mask. # 8221 ; This was the work of Fitzgerald in which our society and legion outstanding American authors respect today. Without Fitzgerald # 8217 ; s Hagiographas a piece of our heritage and civilization in the 20 # 8217 ; s may hold been lost. The odd voice of the Jazz Age.

US intervention in Iraq

Table of Contents Iraq War Iraq war and Theories of Conflict Argument The policy of Containment Deterrence Conclusion Works Cited Iraq War The Iraq War commenced in 2003. This war has been the largest and the longest that the US military has ever engaged in since the Vietnam War. The biggest question has been: was the Iraq War worth it? This paper will actually present an analysis that proves that the Iraq War was actually worth it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on US intervention in Iraq specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Iraq war and Theories of Conflict Conflict has several causal influences as there are various perspectives that govern conflict. These include realism, influence of ideology, liberalism, elite interests and even personal and social psychology (Gallagher 112). The realism perspective comes out largely in the Iraq war. It can be seen that with the September 11th attacks, the US suffered greatly. There was, therefore, great need for the US to demonstrate to the whole world that it was still powerful and it could use force if need be. This could be seen perhaps as a way of maintaining hegemony. Another realistic perspective could be seen from the need for the US to attack so as to avoid nuclear proliferation and other deadly weapons that Saddam was suspected to have been developing. Also US had to secure its oil supplies. With opposition and suspicion from Saddam, the steady supply of this commodity was not guaranteed. There was therefore a realistic need to make sure that Saddam did not threaten the US sources of this great commodity. From the realist policy as will be seen later, collective force serves as a hindrance to achievement of certain goals. The US government, after the post Cold War period, did not change its budget towards military (Segell 111). This was meant to surmount any combined force that may oppose the US in the future. Also by opting for war the US has managed show to the world it is actually a super power, something that was almost in question after the 9/11 attacks. So this message went far and wide, thus boosting further US reputation (Downing 44). It seems that this war was based on liberalist perspective since the war was pegged on democratizing Iraq. It has been noted that democracies hardly attack other democracies.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, the crusaders of this school of thought do believe that it is also against this backdrop that the US feared that, Iraq, then a non-democracy, would use its oil influences to influence other non-democracies and even democracies to attack the US and its allies. This is also why the US, in attacking Iraq, did not trust that the UN inspectors were going to achieve anything much on the global front. In fact, they feared that the regime would hide the truth and that after sometime Saddam would have managed to develop fully weapons of mass destruction. By this it was worth going to war early than rely on the slow and ineffective methods proposed. Argument The US has its foreign policy to pursue. The US is facing many challenges in ensuring that its security is guaranteed. A nation therefore takes itself powerful when its security is assured. The political environment internationally required that it goes for this war since there were some threats posed by the Saddam Hussein’s regime as there was a growing level of hostility. Before a country goes to war it therefore considers the costs and benefits. Though the Iraq war was too costly to the US, some people feel that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. This, therefore, transcends all the money that went into it. It is indeed premature for many to say that the war was wrong. Some ardent supporters of the war say that there were some groups such as the Kurds and Shia that re ally suffered worse atrocities during Saddam’s reign. Several critics, alleges that US paid a big price through the loss of lives of over 4400 soldiers, among the trillion dollars expended in the war. But the war that the US engaged in Korea, the Korean War, left over 3600 dead. Few would have seen the benefit of this war. But now, decades later, many can see that it is in these countries in which freedom and prosperity reign. This should not be seen to suggest that the Iraq case will conclude in a similar manner. However, all indications show that there is some hope that democracy is now being embraced slowly in Iraq (Stewart and Carlisle 120).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on US intervention in Iraq specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sanctions seem not to be effective while dealing with rogue regimes. In fact the â€Å"Arab Spring† has shown that most regimes in the region have been repressive and t hat the citizenry is now standing up. In cases where such homegrown uprising could be cracked down ruthlessly, there is a clear indication that there is the need to use external military action to emancipate the populace. Now, the Iraq Kurds have managed to gain some level of recognition. With own semi-autonomous state, they can now benefit from their region; something that they never used to be imaginable during Saddam’s regime? The Shia, on the other side, has equally managed to benefit from freedom. According to Pollack (20) Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had some links to the al-Qaeda affiliate group named Jund-al-Islam, which later on changed its name to Jund-al- Islam. This group acted as a proxy for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which was considered a terrorist group. In fact there were credible intelligence reports from US and Israeli agencies that Iraq did exchange service such as forged passports for terrorist elements. The terrorists would use the Iraq authoritie s to do this. There was also credible intelligence that the Iraqi authorities did cooperate and eventually agreed to consolidate their strategies towards fighting common enemies. Among their synergies towards fighting common enemies was the United States. What only worked against this kind of cooperation was the fact that Saddam had killed so many Muslim clerics that the al-Qaeda leadership privately detested him. Saddam was actually an avowed secularist whose pursuit was to handle different opposition groups during his leadership (Pollack 26). He did not wish to have any authority that threatened to be critical of his leadership to prosper. According to a former US intelligence chief, the number one concern against Iraq leadership was terrorism, nothing else. After the September 11th attacks there was actually need for the US to try hard enough to annihilate any other threats that were covertly targeting it. This attack actually served as warning to US authorities. There was no lea ving any stone unturned as far as security was concerned as this was a big tragedy to ever occur on American soil.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Further, it proved the reality of the terror threat as this was not just a threat to the American authorities alone as the cold war was, but it was a big threat to the civilians too. The 9/11 attacks greatly shattered this sense of complacency. There was new awakening that America now needed to strike or destroy all threats that were facing it before the forces would attack its core as the 9/11 attacks did. And Iraq emerged clearly as one of the very threats that needed to be diffused. According to Pollack (29), a poll conducted after the 9/11 attacks in the US showed that over 69 percent Americans actually favored a military option to end Saddam Hussein’s regime of covert terror. Varied and careful policy decisions had to be designed to tackle the Iraq issue. One issue had to do with the finances. The Iraq war was going to be too costly to the American tax payer. But the 9/11 attack made support for a military action against Iraq gain a lot support. Those who thought that st icking a balance between the cost and benefit vouched for a limited covert intervention to bring about regime change in Iraq. They vouched for this since a limited military intervention would lead to lower costs to the taxpayer as opposed to a full all-out invasion. Internationally, the international community supported the American full intervention in Iraq as they saw such a move as having been galvanized by the 9/11 attacks. As such, any diplomatic opposition to invasion to occasion any regime change in Iraq through military means was highly limited. The international community actually felt that the American government had the sole responsibility of protecting its people from any form of attack or harm. Most were actually sympathetic as US lost over three thousand people in the 9/11 attack. Pollack (101) argues that if America did not attack Iraq after the 9/11 attacks then this in itself would embolden the terrorist elements or the regimes that supported terrorist elements furt her. This would have meant that the regimes could use terror as a bargaining chip to receive many American concessions. America effected the military action with all the force and zeal, and this actually served as the most deserved deterrent to such regimes, thereby making the American more secure. This is because now no one would like to antagonize the US for fear of the consequences that may emanate out of such antagonism. What is more, by America asserting itself, many countries all over the globe may want to emulate American resolve to always put security list. The policy of Containment The policy of containment is a policy that has served the US for a very long period. However, use of this policy has been waning. This policy was quite effective in1991. It served the US effectively then. But the policy has been falling due to waning cooperation from the allies. The policy also served the US well at the time of the Cold War. Saddam, however, contributed to the failure of this pol icy during his reign (Pullan 300). America had been opting for air strikes to contain Iraq, but, over time, most of the US allies explicitly stated that they were opposed to US military air strikes emanating from their territory or airbases. The Saudi government, however, wanted US airstrike mission to be instead launched from other neighboring states such as Kuwait or even Bahrain. Turkey, was, and has been opposed to the US using its territory to launch any airstrikes. They actually were for one â€Å"massive operation to topple Saddam from leadership (Pollack 126). So, one can see that they were dead opposed to coercive military incursions that were being employed by US. They actually did not have support for this kind of open-ended war against Saddam. This greatly took away the containment option that the US had employed for a very long time. One can therefore see that the Iraq war was actually worth due to this scenario. Further, the US had been using the No-Fly-Zones (NFZs) a s a way of limited military operations. But, most of the Arab states that were moderate were also opposed to the NFZs. They in fact wanted the NFZs eliminated completely. The Iraq military had no respect for such zones. The Iraq air defense forces, thus, shot at the coalition forces frequently. These protracted attacks made the pilots of the coalition forces to respond in self defense. But still these defensive responses were taken as a propaganda tool. There were claims that the attacks led to massive civilian loss of life on the side of the coalition forces. Saddam really did not respect any form of intervention. His regime instead would switch to several strategies to paint a really different picture. The neighboring states bought into this propaganda too (Ramesh et al. 366). So, Kurds and Shia could not be well protected from the US use of deterrent air strikes. In fact Turkey felt that America should look for other ways of protecting the Kurds and Shia. The British and French w ere also largely tiring out of the use of NFZs strategy to contain Saddam’s attacks. This was fear that arose of the anger that would arise out of the public. Some of the allies feared that the Iraq forces could capture their pilots or even bring down their expensive planes, bringing about heavy losses and political queries back at home. Sanctions could not work effectively. One problem that arose was there was increased number of smuggling cases. Since Iraq could not trade legally due to sanctions, many neighboring countries now resorted to the black market deals with the Iraq regime. Iraqi oil, therefore, got smuggled. The smuggled oil at one time even amounted to over 350 million US dollars (Pollack 80). This number had been going up as the sanctions got eroded by and by. In fact the returns from smuggled oil amounted to about 25 percent of all the Iraqi revenue. Neighboring countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and even Turkey were the greatest beneficiaries of oil smu ggling syndicate (Pollack 78). This then effectively meant that sanctions imposed on Saddam’s regime were in effect becoming ineffective with time. To make matters even grave, all manner of goods were now still getting into Iraq with the help on neighboring countries. These neighbors were more than willing to provide Iraq with whatever commodity it wanted. Based on the UN inspectorate report, it was established that even weapons were still getting their way into Iraq. For example at one time, Russian made missile gyro-scopes were intercepted by Jordanian forces based on a tip-off by UN. The oil-for-food program was being used to sneak into the country whatever Saddam wanted. Many countries in essence started to flout whatever the UN had sanctioned. It was for instance discovered by the US that China, had been privately constructing a fiber-optic communications system that was to benefit Baghdad’s military (Wright and Branum 234). What is shocking is that here was a Sec urity Council member, engaging in a massive project with such a rogue state, in total disregard for the sanctions that had already been put in place. So, one can see that Saddam actually had the means, support and might to still get what he wanted, including developing weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear technology was an issue that made the US deeply worried. There were facts that Iraq had uranium and all it needed was to build the capacity for its enrichment and out of that nuclear weapons could eventually be developed. Deterrence One can see from the case developed earlier that so many other options were not going to stop Saddam. Trade embargoes, no-fly-zones etc were not at all going to succeed. So, the American government was forced to change tact and employ other options: deterrence being one of them. But, in this Iraq context, deterrence could not be quite different from containment (Pullan 99). Due to the US military might, the US would allow Iraq to go ahead and arm itself so that it would feel secure. The fear of being toppled has been found to be what had been making Saddam destabilize neighbors. With a heavy arsenal, Saddam would feel secure, while at the same time being checked by the might of US arsenal. But no one was sure that such a move could work with Saddam. The other option of containment could not work well since there were so many issues that worked against it. However containment could be rebuilt such that the sanctions could deter the massive smuggling that was still taking place. More UN inspectors could be deployed and be allowed to stay. However, this was not going to be guaranteed. Another means could be like that one the US used in Afghanistan. This could mean covertly supporting elements in Saddam’s regime to topple him. This could mean providing these groups with finances and even weapons, and other logistical assistance to topple Saddam. This would be good since it would minimize US involvement as much as possible. But after toppling, the responsibility of rebuilding Iraq would still face the US. Full invasion was an option that was remaining. This would mean that the regime could be removed and replaced by a more friendly and democratic one quickly. Conclusion This paper aimed to confirm whether the war that was waged against Iraq was actually worth it. Several reasons and perspectives have been advanced. It has now appeared that the perspectives that greatly feature in the Iraq war were majorly realist and liberalist in nature. Many critics have felt that the war in Iraq was not worthwhile because much hyped dangerous weapons were never found. It is absurd given that the war also had different benefits. The Kurds and Shia provinces were now free. The Iraqi people are now free to choose whoever they wish to lead them through democratic elections. What is more, the country is endowed with wealth which is now being shared equitably. With the war, many can now share in the wealth of the nation. As s een from the perspectives that dominate the war one sees that not only did America just overthrow a rouge regime but it also managed to reap several strategic advantages and this proves that the war actually was worth it. Works Cited Downing, David. The War in Iraq, UK, London: Heinemann Library, 2004. Print. Gallagher, Jim. Causes of the Iraq War: Road to war, causes of conflict, Stockton, New Jersey: OTTN Publishing, 2005. Print. Pollack, Michael. The threatening storm: the case for invading Iraq, UK, London: Random House, 2002. Print. Pullan, Richard. US Intervention Policy and Army Innovation, UK, London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Ramesh, Thakur, Thakur, Ramesh and Singh, Waheguru. The Iraq Crisis and World Order, India: Pearson Education India, 2007. Print. Segell, Glen. Disarming Iraq, UK, Staffordshire: Glen Segell Publishers, 2004. Print. Stewart, John and Carlisle, Rodney. America at war, New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print. Wright, Eric and Branum, Miles. War in Iraq, South Carolina: BiblioBazaar, 2010. Print. This essay on US intervention in Iraq was written and submitted by user Vivid H0rse to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.