Blog Entry 1

The most pressing issue in American politics and government today is the war in Iraq. I've chosen this topic because I feel that this war has gone on long enough. Our mission to combat terrorism has killed thousands of innocent people. Its a stupid game that has no happy ending and we need to pull out and appologize to all that lost someone in this quest for oil.

I believe the war in Iraq, is a good example of American politics. The war has brought into plane sight, the aggressive pursuit of power, energy and resorces. It has also shown the overall influence of the American government in a region that is incredibly unstable and vulnerable to corruption. Essentially the US is using the political tool of war to futher it's own political agenda.

In class we described the definition of politics as "who gets what, when and how" In my scenario the "who" is the United States. The "what" is influence, meaning money, oil and infastructure. The "when and how" can be many things. For instance war or 9/11. We use these factors to gain influence over Iraq. This war we've been in for years has allowed us to assert our power over others. The United States government is attempting to transform their nation to a democracy, but instead has created a civil war. 9/11 is another "how" we've used this for years now to validate our war with Iraq, disguising our need for oil by calling it a battle with terrorist.