As the major fighting in Iraq draws to a close, we return to the question of what defines victory. In our recent history of military conflict, victory has been somewhat amorphous.
In the wake of September 11, 2001 the mission of the United States was to strike at terrorism, with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda as the main focus. Troops were ordered to Afghanistan, believed to be harboring the heart of al Qaeda. With bin Laden continuously managing to elude United States forces, however, the operations' focus shifted from the terrorist network to the ehabilitation"" of Afghanistan.
Before this rehabilitation came to a conclusion, though, America's eye turned to Iraq. The original goal of Coalition forces was disarmament of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons programs by force. As the war moved forward it became clear that it was regime change that would mark success, while disarmament took a secondary role.
As we look back on the recent military conflicts a disturbing trend emerges: the willingness of the U.S. to shift its endgame. Success has been redefined so many times in the last year that even this week's success in Iraq can feel hollow. America accomplished its mission of regime change, but what of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction?
The Bush administration emphasized the threat posed from Iraq's arsenal during the buildup to the war. Clearly, the dismantling of Iraq's weapons program formed an important part of America's mission to Iraq and its justification of that mission. Despite the fact that this has not come to fruition, the current tone is triumphant.
Our original goal in Iraq has not been attained and yet we are already celebrating a successful conclusion, not unlike our situations in regards to Afghanistan and al Queda. As our situation with Syria sours, it is more important than ever that an agenda is clearly laid out and adhered to before conflict looms. The continuously shifting definitions of victory in Afghanistan and Iraq have sent soldiers to war for one reason and brought them home for another.
In the future, we should not lend our support to a conflict until the motivations for doing so are clear. Furthermore, we should hold politicians accountable to their original justifications as well as their final definitions of victory.
