Today’s Guest Column
Nearly two weeks ago, I joined many other Americans in remembering the events of the 9/11 attacks and honoring those who lost their lives on that tragic day. While watching the numerous memorial broadcasts and documentaries, I could not help but reflect on our country’s reaction and the two wars that followed. Did we make the right decision? Was there any good that actually came of these conflicts? How deeply should the U.S. get involved in other countries’ affairs?
Today, there is a new terrorist organization threatening the world. ISIS has expanded its reign of terror deep into Syria and Iraq. Two weeks ago, President Obama outlined his plan to help the Iraqis combat this new threat by broadening airstrikes and supplying the opposition with much-needed firepower. This decision and our future course of action have been the cause of much debate around the country. Some have argued that the results will be similar to those of the Iraq War and that the U.S. needs to stay out of foreign conflicts. Yet, I must strongly disagree. There should be no question that it is the moral obligation of America and other countries to act when there is clear and present evil in the world.
Why is the U.S. burdened with the responsibility of preserving peace in the world? It is because allowing an evil such as ISIS to flourish leads to the degradation of morality and the destruction of our society.
We can all agree that humanity is based upon certain principles, such as peace, justice and love. These are not values we have merely accepted as an efficient means to pursue a hedonistic lifestyle. Rather, they are ideals we could not live without, as they give us a clear picture of right and wrong. Why is it that we can identify evil so easily and without pause? It is because within evil, we are able to see the presence of injustice, the disruption of peace and the absence of love.
Those who argue against U.S. action toward ISIS on the grounds that the fight will be similar to the last Iraq war miss the most important aspect our leaders should consider in making the decision.
When people are being mercilessly persecuted, we must act, regardless of the consequences. While the Iraq War had many operational failures, the United States took down a war criminal who had massacred many of his own people. Intervention is not about expanding our influence, gaining votes or protecting our legacy — it is about protecting our shared set of beliefs that makes up the foundation of humanity.
Perhaps some people do not favor intervention in Iraq because the effects have still not been felt here. Yet, history has shown this is a mindset that does not benefit the welfare of humanity. The U.S. didn’t enter World War II until the attack on Pearl Harbor. By that time, Germany had already begun its systematic extermination of millions of Jews.
What we see today in Iraq is the price of nonintervention and a disregard for human dignity. Thousands of innocent people have been brutally murdered while we have argued over whether it is our role to get involved.
Standing atop the rubble of the World Trade Center, President Bush famously told the rescue workers, “I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”
To all of the innocent Iraqis fighting for their lives, we hear you. And ISIS will hear from America.
William Fitzmaurice is a sophomore philosophy major. He can be reached at williammfitzmaurice@gmail.com.
