Impact of the "War on Iraq" on me.

Skimming through the required details for the first blog entry assignment, I was not happy. The topic was about the 'War on Iraq', which is a very controversial topic, and sometimes I fear that I may get too emotionally charged with the matter, which has left me avoiding all thought or talk about "it", as much as I possibly can. However, since this happens to be a required part of the course, I devoted some thought to the topic and decided to share my two cents worth in this blog.

I am not an American citizen and perhaps that may explain my ‘different’ outlook regarding the War on Iraq, but in any case, I have always believed in the wide possibility of resolving conflicts without a war unless, it is absolutely vital. This outlook partly comes form my heritage, because my country India, had achieved independence from its colonists through non-violence or 'Ahimsa'.

Nevertheless, the War on Iraq has affected me and my family, and in a wider circle of influence my country. The most apparent affect has been in the energy sector. The War on Iraq has caused an astonishing increase in the price of Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant (POL) products. When the War on Iraq initially began in 2003, the international price for a barrel of crude oil hovered around $30, but now that figure has escalated to over $100, which is a three-fold increase in price in just 5 years! India has an annual import of POL products that are worth $26 Billion and this accounts to 30% of the total import items. It's rational and logical to see that the increase in global oil prices directly impacts the overall rate of inflation in my country. In addition, the War on Iraq has also affected the tourism industry of my country because of its geographic sensitivities and thereby, the country is being robbed of valuable revenue, which would have helped boost the domestic economy by bringing more cash inflow into it.

Now, people might tend to view the above reasons as being trivial, but then I have another important reason to hold my case. Ever since India has shown strong, positive indications of support to the UN community and particularly to the US on the 'War on Terror', the instances of extremist terrorism in India has risen with increasing ferocity each time, and this is against the best interests of the country. My countrymen are at the wrong end of the gun, so to speak, due to no fault of theirs'.

Reflecting on what I have gathered from the papers and heard on the news, the people of the United States of America are, by and large, confused and frustrated with the War on Iraq. This I think, at times translates into a backlash against immigrants and other ethnic groups, which look and feel "middle-eastern". I have personally been at the receiving end of this, and even though I do not give too much thought to it, I know it's like an old scar, that never quite manages to disappear. The newspapers tell me that the right steps are being taken to consider ending the War on Iraq. I don’t know how things will work out in the future but, I sure do hope that five years down the line the world will be a much better place to live in.