The US Military involvement in an armed conflict in Iraq known as the Iraq War started when the United States invaded Iraq on 20 March 2003, which was followed by long period of fighting to combat the occupying forces and the newly formed Iraqi government. The justifications given by the government of the United States and the United Kingdom for their invasion on Iraq was that Iraq allegedly possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and presented a threat to their security and that of their allies. Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein was also accused of sheltering and aiding al-Qaeda but no evidence was ever found to prove that. Other stated reasons for the invasion of Iraq was Iraq's financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, Iraqi government human rights abuses and an effort to spread democracy to the country. Later after investigating it was concluded that Iraq had already ended its nuclear, chemical and biological programs in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion, but that they envisioned resuming activities if the Iraq sanctions were lifted. However, when public favored increasingly for the withdrawals of the troops from Iraq and as Iraqi forces started to take responsibility for security, member nations of the Coalition withdrew their forces. Later, the U.S. decided to completely withdraw military personnel from Iraq in December 2011.  After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the US, the US military has been continuously intervening the internal affairs Afghanistan from 2001 until today to disassemble the al-Qaedaterrorist organization and to confiscate the Taliban government from power, which at the time was controlling Afghanistan and accommodated al-Qaeda leadership. When U.S. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9/11 attack and expel the al-Qaeda network that was supporting the Taliban in its war with the Afghan Northern Alliance, the Taliban declined to extradite bin Laden without evidence of his involvement in the 9/11 attacks but recommended that he leave the country. As a result, America refused negotiation and launched Operation Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001 with the United Kingdom. Later Germany and other western allies later joined the Operation to attack the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in conjunction with the Northern Alliance. With the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad, Pakistan on 2 May 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs, NATO leaders permitted for removing their soldiers from Afghanistan. The Afghanistan war resulted in the killings of tens of thousands of people as of 2013; the victims were mostly civilians and militants. On 22 June 2011, President Obama announced that the end of 2011 would withdraw 10,000 troops with an additional 23,000 troops leaving the country by the summer of 2012. During the twentieth century the United States largely dominated in political, economic and cultural terms. Although the ...

1. The US Military involvement in an armed conflict in Iraq
known as the Iraq War started when the United States invaded
Iraq on 20 March 2003, which was followed by long period of
fighting to combat the occupying forces and the newly formed
Iraqi government. The justifications given by the government of
the United States and the United Kingdom for their invasion on
Iraq was that Iraq allegedly possessed weapons of mass
destruction (WMD) and presented a threat to their security and
that of their allies. Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein was also
accused of sheltering and aiding al-Qaeda but no evidence was
ever found to prove that. Other stated reasons for the invasion
of Iraq was Iraq's financial support for the families
of Palestinian suicide bombers, Iraqi government human
rights abuses and an effort to spread democracy to the country.
Later after investigating it was concluded that Iraq had already
ended its nuclear, chemical and biological programs in 1991 and
had no active programs at the time of the invasion, but that they
envisioned resuming activities if the Iraq sanctions were lifted.
However, when public favored increasingly for the withdrawals
of the troops from Iraq and as Iraqi forces started to take
responsibility for security, member nations of the Coalition
withdrew their forces. Later, the U.S. decided to completely
withdraw military personnel from Iraq in December 2011.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the US, the
US military has been continuously intervening the internal
affairs Afghanistan from 2001 until today to disassemble the al-
Qaedaterrorist organization and to confiscate the Taliban
government from power, which at the time was controlling
Afghanistan and accommodated al-Qaeda leadership. When U.S.
President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand
over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9/11 attack and
expel the al-Qaeda network that was supporting the Taliban in
its war with the Afghan Northern Alliance, the Taliban declined
to extradite bin Laden without evidence of his involvement in

2. the 9/11 attacks but recommended that he leave the country. As
a result, America refused negotiation and launched Operation
Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001 with the United Kingdom.
Later Germany and other western allies later joined the
Operation to attack the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in
conjunction with the Northern Alliance. With the killing of
Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad, Pakistan on 2 May 2011, U.S.
Navy SEALs, NATO leaders permitted for removing their
soldiers from Afghanistan. The Afghanistan war resulted in the
killings of tens of thousands of people as of 2013; the victims
were mostly civilians and militants. On 22 June 2011, President
Obama announced that the end of 2011 would withdraw 10,000
troops with an additional 23,000 troops leaving the country by
the summer of 2012.
During the twentieth century the United States largely
dominated in political, economic and cultural terms. Although
the United States' influence grew throughout the twentieth
century, it became especially dominant after the end of World
War II, when only two superpowers, the United States and
the Soviet Union remained. After the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in 1991, the United States remained the world's only
superpower.
After the Cold War the United States became one of the world's
two superpowers as a result of the criteria fulfilled by the
United States to be considered a superpower. With the
geographic area of approximately 9.37 million km² America
became the fourth largest country in the world and with the
population of 248.7 million in 1990, America became the fourth
largest in the world at that time.
Besides, political influence, the United States also influenced
the world economically. During 20th century the economic
policies of the Washington Consensus was adopted around the
world. As a result, America became the largest economy in the
world. America was very rich in minerals resources, energy
resources, timber, and metals, and America had a very large
modernized farming industry and large industrial base. U.S.

3. Dollar became dominant world reserve currency then. Due to its
economic rise, America was associated with G7 major
economies.
America’s military force also played major role in its super
power position. America had the world's largest navy with
largest number of aircraft carriers, bases all over the world.
America also had the largest nuclear arsenal in the world during
the first half of the Cold War. America had one of the largest
armies in the world and also had one of the two largest air
forces in the world. America's powerful military allies in
Western Europe (NATO) had their own nuclear capabilities.
America possessed a global Intelligence network (CIA).
Behind every policy success, it was the America’s extravagant
economy. Economic preconditions facilitated US to develop all
aspects of power. From increased US’s diplomatic leverage to
providing resources for navy-army build-up, building the
Panama Canal, expanding trade and enhancing US’s soft power,
it was the contribution of America’s economic growth.
President’s action on the basis of their visions, ideas and
strategies also played major role for economic growth. The
effective implementation of Mahan’s naval strategy and
deterrence was originally realized under McKinley and
Roosevelt. US’s strong navy and its capability to withdraw to
newly acquired coaling stations was an adding factor to
America’s rise to power. The solidification of the alliance with
Britain and the closer cooperation with China proved strong.
Remarkably US’s involvement in WWI reinstated peace and
stability in Europe and protected the Allies. US surfaced as an
eminent world power; an economic superpower that commanded
substantial leverage in global decision-making.
Being the most powerful in the world, later America became
known as the country that was acting as the resolver, the
country that was intervening, and the country that was stepping
in, in order to prevent the world conflict. Throughout the early
1920's to the 1960's, America's ideas on foreign policy differed
immensely.

4. Since, America was intervening with most issues before World
War I, America was described as the nation who "polices the
world". However, after World War I, America had suffered a lot
from economic desolation. As a result America did not want to
hurt themselves into another war. Therefore America tried to
prevent another war by becoming isolationist after World War I
and remained isolationist for almost fifteen years. They sought
to keep themselves out of other problems from other countries
around the globe. There are many examples that show that
America remained isolationist after World War I. Legislation
that supported American isolationism after World War I were
Immigration Acts, which sets quotas on each race that could
immigrate to America. This Act was established to keep
American jobs mostly to Americans, and also to have only
"higher" class immigrants immigrate to America. Other
examples include the Neutrality Acts, America's carelessness to
the sinking of the Lusitania, the British ship, Germany's
violation of the Sussex pledge, as Germany continued to sink
American ships until America finally came into action.
However, after World War II, America's foreign policy changed
significantly. After World War II, America started to intervene.
America agreed to lend money to "war-torn" Europe to restore
its economy. The passage of the Truman Doctrine, which would
prevent Turkey and Greece from falling to communism, was
another policy of intervention, which was emphasized even
more when the Eisenhower Doctrine extended the coverage of
the Truman Doctrine into the Middle East. Similarly, events like
the Berlin Air Lift demonstrated America's support for foreign
affairs as well, which illustrates America's intervention after
World War II.
In this way, the foreign policy of America differed significantly
after World War I and World War II. While after World War I,
America was isolationist, after World War II America became
an intervenor.
The 9/11 attacks of 2001 steered in a new era of US preventive
military action intended at acquiring the safety of US interest at

5. home and abroad. This new action of the US government
insured America’s right to self-defense, and the World’s
commitment to the defense of freedom. The Global War on
Terror is one main element of this new policy. However, as the
War has progressed it has become increasingly obvious that this
new policy does not represents a shift in US foreign policy with
regard to the Middle East. In fact, the US government has
sustained static normative policy in the region since the end of
World War II.
Reference:
Armstrong, Blake. (2010, June 18). Differences in American
Foreign Policy After World War I and World War II. Retrieved
November 24, 2013 from
http://voices.yahoo.com/differences-american-foreign-policy-
after-world-6233710.html?cat=37
Population, Housing Units, Area Measurements, and Density:
1790 to 1990. Retrieved Noveber 24, 2013 from
(http://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-2.pdf)
Landler, Mark; Cooper, Helene (22 June 2011). "Obama Will
Speed Pullout From War in Afghanistan". The New York Times.
Retrieved November 24, 2013 from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/world/asia/23prexy.html?h
p
Efthymiou, Pavlos. (2013, February 12). The Emergence Of The
United States As A Global Power. Retrieved November 24, 2013
from http://theriskyshift.com/2013/02/the-emergence-of-the-
united-states-as-a-global-power/#ixzz2ld9tkIPM

6. Carnes, Alex. (2013) The Global War on Terror: Unfolding The
Static Approach of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East.
Retrieved November 24, 2013 from
http://www.stateofnature.org/?p=5658
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