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CriticalEvaluationofEugeneJareckis WhyWeFight
WhyPresidentEisenhowerIsSpinningInHisGrave.
HughGabor

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WhyweFight isa2006documentarybyEugeneJareckireleasedattheheightoftheIraq
War,whichtriestotracethepoliticalandfinancialintereststhatdeterminewhythegreatest
militarypoweronEarth,TheUnitedStatesofAmerica(US)engagessoreadilyinforeign
conflict.DoestheUSfighttopreserveandpromoteitscivillibertiesanddemocratic
principals?Orarethepoliticalandplutocraticinterestsoftherulingeliteunrepresentatively
decidingwhoscountryistobebombed?Theseideasareexaminedindepthinthefilm.This
paperaimstocriticallyevaluatetheseconclusions,andthroughadditionalevidence,reinforce
theirvaliditytosuggestthisforceendangersthelibertyanddemocraticprocessesofthe
wholeglobe.Whywefighthasindeeddemonstratedthedisastrousconsequencesofthe
misplacedpowerthatEisenhowerwarnedusabout.

OutlineofJareckismessagewhobenefits?
ThefilmopenswithPresidentEisenhowersfarewelladdress,televisedin1961.
Eisenhowersaddresswashiswarningofthegravityofthepermanentarmsindustrywhich
hecoinsasthemilitaryindustrialcomplex.AfterEisenhowersetsthescene,thewarinIraq
isintroducedinmuchthesamewaythatitenteredthecollectiveconsciousoftheAmerican
peopleinthewakeofthe9/11attacks.Thebackdropoffear,confusionandangerfollowing
theattacksgaveseniorUSofficialsachancetoreengineertheirregimestoexpandAmerican
influence,andfromtherubble,aradicalizedversionoftheAmericanforeignpolicyemerged
knowastheBushdoctrine.TheNewYorkCopWiltonSektzerpersonifiestheAmerican
patriotwhowantstheterroriststopaybutrealizeshehasbeendupedbythehiddenagenda.
ThisrevelationistransmittedbyJareckiwhowastesnotimeinuncoveringthehidden
motives.

Jareckiindicatesthatthedistributionofthespoilsofwariswidereaching:Atthebottom,
financiallyandemotionallyvulnerablepeopleareappealedtoobyrecruitmentagencies,

1 Jarecki,E.,WhyWeFight,DVD,SonyPicturesClassics,Utah,USA,2005.
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offeredacareer,medicalcareandfinancialaidinreturnforsacrifice.Next,millionsof
civiliansareemployedbythemilitarywithinthehomeland.Thesesupportjobsincludethe
manufacturingweapons,equipment,uniformsandfood,andprofessionalrolesinmedicine,
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logisticsandIT.

Statelevelpoliticianswelcomedefensespendingbecauseitcreatesjobsandstimulatestheir
localeconomy.Theprivateinvestorsanddirectorsofmilitaryindustriesalsoprofitdirectly
fromgovernmentgrants.DickCheneyretiredasCEOofoilandequippingcompany
Haliburtonjustoneyearbeforehewaselectedasvicepresident.Duringhisvicepresidency,
HaliburtonwasthenumberonerecipientofmilitarycontractsandCheneysnetworth
increased60fold.Haliburton,andothers,likelyprofitedadditionallythroughtheimproved
accesstooilreserveinIraq,throughtheengineeringofamorewesternfreetradefriendly
government.Iraqsitsupontheworldsfifthlargestknownoilreserve,andvastnumbersof
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unexploredreserves.

ExpandinguponandvalidatingJareckisclaims:
Themoreinformationoneuncovers,themorethepuzzlepiecefallintoplaceandthewarier
onebecomesoftheofficialjustificationsforwar.WilliamKristol,prominent
neoconservativepoliticalcommentatorisaskedwhywefightintheopeningscenes:we
fightbecauseitsnecessary,itsright.FootageofRonaldReaganisshownwhereheclaims
thattheUSisaforceforpeace,notconflict.SimilarlyGeorgeW.Bushsays,ourcauseis
justwewilldefeattheenemiesoffreedom.Thediscourseofthepoliticalestablishmentis
onethatdefendstheAmericanWayofLifeandfeelsjustifiedingloballypromotingitatall
costs.USmilitaryhistorianGwynneDyerexpandsupontheunderlyingviolenceinthe
patriotismwewillspreadpeace,freedombutwearegoingtodothatbytakingover
democracywillbespreadonthepointofanAmericanbayonette.

2
U.S.Army,ArmyCivilianJobs,USArmy,(publishdatenotprovided),
<http://www.goarmy.com/careersandjobs/armyciviliancareers.html>,viewed23/08/16.

3 NaturalResourceGovernanceInstitute,Iraq,NRGILimitedEngagementCountryMiddle

EastandNorthAfrica(publishdatenotprovided),
<http://www.resourcegovernance.org/ourwork/country/iraq>,viewed23/08/16
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TheseidealsarenotbeingspreadandTheMiddleEastisstilltornbyinternalandexternal
conflict.ThepowerandsecurityvacuumthatdevelopedafterUSinvolvementinIraqceased
wasfilledbyradicalizedgroupssuchasIslamicState,whichasofaugust2016has10million
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peopleunderitscontrol. AsstatedintheUKgovernmentsretrospectiveinquiry,The
ChilcotReportthepreparationsandstrategyforthecountryofIraqanditsgovernment,
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afterthetopplingofSaddamsregime,werewhollyinadequate.

Thoughnotsuccessfulinitsvagueobjectivesoffreedomandliberation,didtheUSfightas
aforceforgood,respectingthesanctityofinnocentlife?TheUSmilitaryemphasizesthe
infallibilityofitsweapons.Oneofthepilotsinterviewedsays:Oneofthegreatresultsofthe
militaryindustrialcomplex,withtheadvanceinweaponry,[isthat]wecanminimize
collateraldamage.Onthe22ndOctober2010,WikileaksreleasedtheIraqWarLog,the
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largestclassifiedmilitaryleakinhistory .ItisaUSarmylogdocumentingdeathsinconflict
betweenJanuary2004andDecember2009andrevealsthat66,000ofthe110,000recorded
deathsoverthecourseofthewarwereCivilian,andonly23,000wereenemytargets.

Jareckipartlyblamestheblatantcapitalismofthearmsmanufactureindustry:thecompetition
forgovernmentgrantsbetweenmanufactureshasledthemtoengageinexaggerative
advertising.ChalmersJohnson,anexCIAconsultantinterviewedinthefilmsumsuphis
understanding,itsimplyisnttrue:Thebombsarentthatreliable,theprecisionguidance
isntthatgood.Thisoverestimationoftheprecisionofweapons,combinedwiththeacute
difficultiesofidentifyingguerillatargets,alsoexperiencedintheVietnamwar,breeds
instabilityanddesireforrestitution.

WhyWeFightattemptstodeterminethemotivesforWarinthecontextoftheUSleadwarin
Iraq.Thefilmpiecestogetherofficialviews,thediscourseofforeignpolicyexperts,modern

4 BBCNews,Islamicstategroup:crisisinsevencharts,BBC,August2016,
<http://www.bbc.com/news/worldmiddleeast27838034>,viewed23/08/16.
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TheIraqInquiry,SirjohnChilcotspublicstatement,6thJuly2016,TheIraqinquiry,
<http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk/theinquiry/sirjohnchilcotspublicstatement/>,accessed
23/08/16.
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Wikileaks,TheIraqWarLogs,Wikileaks,October2010,<https://wikileaks.org/irq/>,
viewed23/08/16.
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historians,andthoseofsoldiersandthepublic.Animageemergesofagreatwarmachine,
thatperpetuatesconflictforthefinancialbenefitofitsstakeholders,andthepoliticalleverage
itallowsitsrepresentatives.AsLt.ColKarenKwiatkowsisumsup:wefightto[help]
certainpolicymakerspursueanimperialisticagenda.