Compare and contrast the U.S.s decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.
Have a clear argument/thesis-statement and use supportive logic and evidence to support your answer.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Thesis Statement:
The United States’ decisions to invade Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 were driven by different reasons, with the invasion of Afghanistan primarily focusing on combating terrorism post-9/11, while the invasion of Iraq was based on flawed intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction.
Introduction:
The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were significant events that shaped the early 21st century geopolitics. Understanding the motives and outcomes of these military interventions sheds light on the complexities of U.S. foreign policy in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. This essay will compare and contrast the decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, analyzing the key factors that led to these actions.
Invasion of Afghanistan:
The invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was a direct response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan had provided sanctuary to Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the attacks. The primary objective of the U.S. invasion was to dismantle Al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power. The military campaign, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, aimed to disrupt terrorist networks and prevent future attacks on American soil.
Invasion of Iraq:
In contrast, the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was based on intelligence indicating that Saddam Hussein’s regime possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The Bush administration argued that Iraq posed a threat to regional stability and global security, justifying a pre-emptive strike to eliminate the alleged WMD threat. However, subsequent investigations failed to uncover any conclusive evidence of WMD in Iraq, leading to criticism of the invasion as being based on faulty intelligence.
Comparison:
While both invasions were part of the broader U.S. strategy against terrorism and rogue states, the motivations behind them differed significantly. The invasion of Afghanistan was a direct response to a clear and imminent threat posed by Al-Qaeda, whereas the invasion of Iraq was based on speculative concerns about WMD. The military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq also had different outcomes, with the mission in Afghanistan evolving into a prolonged counterinsurgency effort, while the intervention in Iraq resulted in a protracted conflict with sectarian violence.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the U.S. decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq reflected distinct rationales and objectives. The invasion of Afghanistan was driven by the need to combat terrorism post-9/11, while the invasion of Iraq was influenced by flawed intelligence regarding WMD. Despite both interventions being part of the U.S. global counterterrorism strategy, their outcomes and long-term implications have been vastly different. Understanding these differences is crucial for evaluating the efficacy and consequences of U.S. military interventions in the early 21st century.
