Why Do We Fight? Do You Think That the Iraq War Is Morally, Ethically and Politically Correct?

William Bromberg

Mr. Camp

English 101

16 November 2011

Why Do We Fight?

Do you think that the Iraq war is morally, ethically and politically correct?

This can be quite a lot to throw at someone, but it is a question that every American has had to consider at one time. Well, whether or not you want to, the film, Why We Fight directed by Eugene Jarecki, does not give you much of a choice. It imposes the question upon you, "are we fighting in Iraq for the right reasons?" The film starts out showing America's build up in the last century to today culminating in a simple answer, no. My concern is how effective was the film in demonstrating logos, pathos and ethos to bring the viewer to this answer? It answers this question with an effective use of logos by showing footage of actual events that led to the corruption of this war such as Donald Rumsfeld meeting with Saddam Hussein to negotiate an alliance. Secondly, The film also makes effective use of pathos through the use of personal stories and interviews of those directly affected by the events of 9/11 and the Iraqi War. Lastly, Jarecki's appeal to ethos is also strong by using high standing people such as Senator John McCain to demonstrate his points. Jarecki's s effective use of logos, ethos, and pathos create a strong suited argument and a stirring film as a whole.

Jarecki's use of logos is quite effective through his use of interconnecting ideas and reasons to demonstrate his point. Jarecki follows a money trail in recent U.S. history to reveal the corrupt inner workings on our government. He tells of the "military industrial complex" as one of the main sources of corruption, an intertwining of legislation, military, and armament industry. Dwight Eisenhower warns, in his Farewell Adress, "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarreanted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex"(17). This warning holds great significance, but it was not able to stop us from spending more on defense than any other country in the world (50). Jarecki uses Dick Chaney as an example of how profits made through our foreign policies have led to corruption in our government. Chaney went from Secretary of Defense to Halliburton, where he made 70 million dollars in government contracting, and then was made Vice President. Corrupted contracts followed but were all swept under the rug (Why We Fight) . With a Government Contractor as Vice President, the military industrial complex is much more likely to grow as it has in the past. This connection is pretty plain to see as Jarecki lays it out for you. This also gives us a much greater incentive to go to war. To go to war, we need a reason, which is where the think tanks come in, which are hired policy makers. These think tanks, given the name: Office of Special Plans, were brought in right before the Iraq War, obviously showing their wanting to go to war (Why We Fight). These along with many others reasons make Jarecki's argument about the overwhelming effects of the military industrial complex strong and sensible.

Secondly, Jarecki's effective use of pathos also plays a major role in the film. During the course of his movie, Wilton Sekzer tells his emotional story of how he has been affected by the recent events in America. He starts by sharing his feelings of anger about the attack on the World Trade Centers, in which he lost his son. This can get a rise out of about any American, but seeing someone directly effected by this brings in the viewer's apathy and interest. Wilton's story continues as he becomes zealous over the Iraq War effort to seek vengeance for his son only to be deceived. This happens when Bush announced that the War was not associated with 9/11, turning his anger and the viewer's anger toward President Bush and the Government. Wilton expresses, "the government exploited my feelings of patriotism, of a deep desire for revenge