How Philosophy Plays a Role in Politics and International Events
When watching the Presidential debates on television before the national election, I found myself in a position of fear after hearing what Senator John Kerry wanted to do if he was elected in terms of the troops fighting the war in Iraq. John Kerry had no problem in stating that our troops had no purpose to still be occupying the nation of Iraq at this point in time. After hearing what Mr. Kerry had to say, I found myself searching for answers as to what this war that the United States is fighting was all about. In actuality, the war in Iraq is more than just a simple “War on Terrorism.” According to Bill O’Reily, a Fox news analyst, The United States is helping to keep the peace during a civil war in Iraq, prevent future terrorist attacks upon the United States, destroy high profile members of Al-Quaieda, and to provide for a safer America (Philosophy 205 In Class Handout). These four principles that this current war is based on, were evident from the beginning of this battle, and John Kerry was fully aware of the final cause and effects that pulling troops out of Iraq would have upon the factors of the war at hand.
If one takes the time to look at John Kerry’s intended plan/platform for his 4 years, in particular the current war and the safety in America, to my surprise, the information is more like the lack there of information on these issues. Take for instance, “John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to transform the world’s most powerful military to better address the modern threats of terrorism and proliferation, while ensuring that we have enough properly trained and equipped troops to meet our enduring strategic and regional missions (“Strength and Security for a New World”).” This statement that Kerry and Edwards make on their website is a complete contradiction of what they stated in the first presidential debate on National television. The other contradiction that I find very interesting is that both John Kerry and John Edwards opposed the budget increase to the war when they were permitted to vote for as Senators. Truth be told, John Kerry knew that if he decided to not support this war, and in the end pull American troops out of Iraq, that the final effect would be of malicious intent as the simple truths of this war have been stated from the beginning of this battle. Therefore, John Kerry’s decisions would have been intentional and he would have been neglecting the lives of millions of people.
According to Aristotle, from a practical point of view, there is little choice between art and experience, an experienced man, in actuality, is more successful than one whom has only theory alone (Stumpf, 414). This principle from Aristotle can be applied to Kerry’s decision to pull out American troops from Iraq, in a sense that he had no one on one experience working with a war of this magnitude; therefore, he was only supplying his opinion on theory, and not experience. George W. Bush, the current president of the United States, has been working with this war from day one, and obviously has somewhat of a grasp on what needs to be done in order to provide for the safety of the soldiers, Americans, and the people of Iraq. When examining George W. Bush’s plan for the future of this current War in Iraq, he clearly has an inkling and understanding of what needs to continue both overseas, and on the home front. As Bush states, “We either fight the terrorists abroad, or face the consequences at home (“Defending American Lives and Liberty”).” According to George W. Bush’s website, “50 million people have been liberated from despotic totalitarian regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Ever since September 11, 2001, we Americans knew that we were about to embark on a long journey to prevent future terrorist attacks in America. It didn’t take long for all citizens to realize that on top of fighting off terrorists and insurgents that we were also about to take place in the liberation of the Iraqi people. Even though Americans may feel as if they are being slighted in terms of their safety, the truth is, our nation has always been a people that helps those in need. Of course there are thousands of soldiers over in Iraq fighting this war and keeping the peace in another nation other than their own, but at the same time, one can’t say that they wouldn’t want another country to help America if we were in the same sort of situation. The insurgents and terrorists of these Middle Eastern countries know that if American troops pull out at this point in time that they have won the battle. In other words, if we allowed John Kerry to have the power to pull the American forces from these countries, we’d be giving these horrible people the victory that they were searching for in the first place (Philosophy 205 Final Causality Notes).
The point of this whole matter at hand is that if John Kerry were to have become President of the United States, and pull the troops out of Iraq, there would be an unintended, but foreseeable consequence. Unfortunately, most American people overlook the key factors of what this incident could have done to not only our population, but those of numerous other countries as well. Even if John Kerry was trying to save the lives of American soldiers, he should have looked at the aftermath of what would occur if he made the decision to pull out the troops. Sometimes people of all ranks don’t take the time to look at the consequences of a certain situation, which in turn will only cause more havoc and chaos in the end.
When thinking about George W. Bush’s decisions to remain in Iraq and help fight the civil war abroad instead of on our home front, I realize that President Bush has the American’s best interests in mind. Even if every citizen of this country doesn’t agree with all of the elements of this war, in order to remain the free, loyal, and upstanding country that we have been founded on, we must stand strong in this fight. The truth is that the people of our military and other higher forces of the government understand what is happening in the Middle East, and unfortunately most American citizens can’t handle the complete truth of these matters. On top of not being able to handle the truth, there is an element of trust and significance of secrecy that the military must uphold in order to fight off these terrorists abroad, and without those elements we would only be putting ourselves at a greater risk for future terrorist attacks.
Another incident of this war that deals with final causality is the decision that the Iraqi Prime Minister made concerning the insurgents kidnapping three of his relatives. The Prime Minister was given the ultimatum on November 9, 2004, that if he pulls the U.S. troops out of Fallujah, his three kidnapped relatives lives will be spared, and if he doesn’t then his relatives will be beheaded. The Prime Minister decided to keep the troops in Fallujah, because he knew in the end, the final effect would be more positive for his nation than if he decided to order the troops out of Fallujah (Philosophy 205 Handout). In situations like these, leaders of a large nation have to look out for the best interests of the country and not just a few select individuals. John Kerry’s potential decision to pull troops out of Iraq can be applied in this fashion due to he was only looking out for the soldiers of America, however in the end he would have only killed more of them and killed the morale of the United States.
Unfortunately when in positions of leadership, leaders must make important decisions that will only better the largest group of people that they are guiding. These decisions are not always easy, but that is part of the burden you undertake as a leader of this magnitude. If you look to President Bush’s statements regarding the safety of America, he has a clear view of what needs to be done in order to ensure safety for all of those involved in the war in Iraq. Just as Bush states, “In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We must work to change the conditions and resentment that provide fertile ground for terrorist recruitment. Above all, this requires bringing freedom for whom it has been long denied, for free people do not support terror (“Defending American Lives & Liberty”).” President Bush has worked with the armed forces to bring Saddam Hussein to justice for all the malicious acts he had performed to the people of Iraq, and have helped to bring the interim government of Iraq into leadership.
In the back of my head I wonder what would have happened in these situations if John Kerry were in power, or how he would deal with this current war? One has to wonder how much of a good leader John Kerry would have been for our nation, when in the end he knew that their was a foreseeable result with pulling out American forces. When it comes down to the safety and overall moral of the United States, all the evidence points out that John Kerry would have not been looking out for the best interests of this nation. Ultimately, Kerry needed to look at the possible results of what his choice would have done for not only our country but also for the citizens of Iraq.
All in all, if the American people had elected John Kerry President of The United States, the nation of America and Iraq would have seen outrageous results of violence, killing, and harmfulness. It’s common knowledge to Americans that we strive to protect our country and also help those in need when we are given the opportunity. This current war that our country is fighting not only deals with the citizens of the United States, but it also looks out for the best interests of the Iraqi people.
If the American troops weren’t over in Iraq, the people wouldn’t have the opportunity to vote in elections for their leader, women wouldn’t have the right to go to school, leave their homes freely, children would be in grave danger, and young boys would be expected to join the terrorist forces of their homeland. Americans tend to get the wrap that we are a selfish nation, however in some ways, this war itself proves that the United States cares about the welfare of other people in the world. At least we can rest peacefully at night knowing that we have a president who is looking out for the well-being of a large nation of people, and when we wake in the morning, we can feel safe in our daily routines knowing that we have a group of military people protecting us on the home front and abroad.
After taking the time to research this war and look at both presidential candidates, I have been able to realize that you can apply philosophical reasoning to pretty much any situation that you encounter. Maybe in the future our potential leaders will take the time to use Philosophy to come to their conclusions in their decisions that will affect a whole entire nation of people. It is to the benefit of the Americans that John Kerry did not become president in the simple case of our safety and well being for the next four years.
Even if you are not happy with George W. Bush as president in terms of other issues that affect us as citizens, at least comfort in the fact that we will be safe and that we are providing a nation half way across the world with hope of becoming a totally free nation.
Works Cited
“Defending American Lives & Liberty.” Retrieved November 23, 2004. Http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Agenda/Chapter.aspx?ID=4.
“Strength & Security For A New World.” Retrieved November 23, 2004. Http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/national_security/ .
Philosophy 205 Handouts: Final Causality, Final Causality dealing with War in Iraq (specifically Fallujah). Fall 2004 Curriculum.
Stumpf, Enoch, Samuel. Philosophy 205 at Niagara University. McGraw-Hill Companies, 2001.
