What are we really fighting for?

Americans have always thought to have been fighting for the fundamental right of freedom of each and every person, not just in this country, but on a global scale. I agree up to the point where we define freedom. In the movie Why We Fight several citizens were asked what freedom meant, and why we were fighting in Iraq. All subjects interviewed either had varying definitions or unable to come up with a concise definition. One older woman in the documentary noted that in the wars of years past Americans knew exactly what they were fighting for, but in today’s war she didn’t believe that most of us knew.

Although my intention is not to give an opinion on the Iraq War, I find it interesting that unlike most nations in most wars, there is no typical answer. There may be common answers, but not a definite universal response. The next question then becomes why we are fighting for some purpose that cannot be defined. Most people will say democracy is freedom, and that peoples lives are subjugated if they do not experience it. To this I wholeheartedly agree, every person should have at least some say on how their country should be governed. Even if their view on a topic is part of the minority, then their rights should be protected and their opinions be respected. However, can we truly say that our version of democracy is ideal? According to the video, our government altered the truth in an attempt to gain the approval of the American people. Also, media reporters rarely have full disclosure to the government’s insight and planning for war. Therefore, if the media has a limited view, then our view is as limited or worse. Another thing to note is that a lot of federal government officials seek their own interests in office while campaigning for yours. This happens across members of both political parties. While I am unwilling to say that us voters are led by completely false pretenses, we cannot be lead to believe that our needs are met first, which is why our democratic government was established in the first place. It’s like ordering steak but receiving salmon instead.

I think that the most interesting part was that the documentary reported on the military-industrial complex, which President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the country against in his farewell addresses. The military-industrial complex is an encompassing term that relates how the military, corporations, and think tanks rely on each other to benefit and profit each other. Knowing that in a capitalist economy businesses are forever in a struggle to make more and more profits, we need to investigate and know how they affect our foreign policy. One example that stuck out in the video was that Vice-President Dick Cheney had an estimated net worth of $ 1 million, prior to joining Halliburton. Five years after he joined their board of directors, his worth jumped from $60-70 million dollars. One person interviewed suggested that Cheney was hired by Halliburton because of his government and military contacts he developed under the Reagan administration. Although I have no problems with military corporations making money, I do believe that there has to be an independent government oversight. This goes back to the fight for freedom. These corporations, in any industry for that matter, might feel that there are rights are being restricted. However, how can we know that there rights are restricted when we really don’t know what that means.