On the eve of the American invasion of Iraq, the German Foreign minister Joschka Fischer openly questioned American intentions behind the intervention. Such doubts were expressed by other members of the European Union as well. The differences were not just at the diplomatic level. A public opinion poll conducted on the eve of the war revealed how an overwhelming majority of people in Europe disagreed with the American official line. More importantly, they believed that the war was illegitimate. The public sentiment in the United States was exactly the opposite. Some analysts point that the divide in public opinion is nothing more than a reflection of the prevailing world order. Nevertheless, such a simplistic reason is insufficient in explaining a pervasive set of beliefs and attitudes [4].
Joseph Nye elucidates further,
“Today, a darker reality looms. A great philosophical schism has opened within the West, and mutual antagonism threatens to debilitate both sides of the transatlantic community. At a time when new dangers and crises are proliferating rapidly, this schism could have serious consequences. For Europe and the United States to come apart strategically is bad enough. But what if their differences over world order infect the rest of what we have known as the liberal West?” [5]
The United States, by virtue of being the only superpower, has the responsibility to protect and spread democratic values to all parts of the world. Its foreign policy should be much more than “defending and promoting material national interests”. Such was the vision of its founding fathers. In order to maintain the noble traditions of its early years, American policies should avoid making a distinction between foreign and domestic. This way, the standards applied to others will apply to themselves as well, ensuring justice to all [6].
Much has been made about the Bush Administration and its failings during the course of the last seven years. But the Iraq is not a one-off event. There is no evidence to support theories of Bush Administration’s connivance in the Weapons of Mass Destruction fiasco. Commentators from the liberal end of the political spectrum have been very harsh in their condemnation of George Bush. They’ve also suggested that the intelligence failures pertaining to WMD were his responsibility. Some have even gone to the extent of stating that the Administration has had a hand in the preparation of intelligence reports of WMD. Most of these claims are not substantiated by evidence. Some of them are plain outlandish. The truth most likely to enter history books is that George Bush made an honest mistake and was led astray by flawed intelligence. The Bush Administration went to the war with the conviction that their case was authentic and their motives noble. Even when faced with opposition from their traditional allies, the Administration sincerely believed that the rest of the world could be persuaded once Iraq’s WMD program is exposed. But unfortunately, such a day never came. This might have made the opposition more vociferous. But is not a vindication of their theory of Iraq War. Hence, the legitimacy for the Bush Administration’s invasion of Iraq comes from the purity of its motives [7].
For President Bush, the war’s legitimacy was grounded deeply in American values. So much is evident from his words at least. For example, the president explained in his recent State of the Union speech, “America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire, we understand our special calling: This great republic will lead the cause of freedom”. Hence, America went to Iraq not as an occupier with territorial or material ambitions, but as a liberator to free the people of Iraq from Saddam’s horrific rule [8].