My third source argues against bringing the troops home. This source is from The Star and is against the troops being pulled out of Iraq. Tony Blair states that he hasn’t got a “reverse gear” and that he will fight on and will carry on with the war with Iraq. He says that he has no regrets and would make the same decision again. Even though British and American troops are dying and have died in Iraq Tony Blair still wants to carry on side by side with George Bush fighting the Iraqi forces. Also the source talks about some of the public wanting Tony Blair to resign. This source is valid because it is from the Star and is from an article which was dated Sep 1 2003 and they have cameramen and reporters over in Iraq and I trust it because it is a paper which is in the ranks with the other papers so it would contain some good info. Obviously the decision lies ultimately with Tony Blair – it was him who sent the troops in so he must believe in the cause, because he wouldn’t risk soldiers lives carelessly.
My last source is from the internet from a website which talks about some of the countries in the world and if you look in the paragraph below it will tell you which countries they are. Also it talks about the British public being concerned about the troops in Iraq but they want them to stay to “finish the job”.
This source is from Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty which is a radio station and website that tells you information and news reports from around the world and broadcasts in the countries shown here, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East, and is funded by the United States Congress. This source talks about the concern for the troops but that they have to stay in Iraq to solve the problem first. This source is of a valid because it is written by a news reporter so she would know what is going on over there because they would have cameramen and people over there doing work. This source as valid as the others sources and gets its information through America.
Comparing the Sources
Sources one and two are reasons why troops should be pulled out of Iraq. Source one tells you about the demand for the troops to be pulled out of Iraq when asked whether to, to be pulled out now, gradually or to stay in for as long as necessary and most of the population voted for them to be pulled out gradually. Source two talks about how people have protested and have been sent to prison for arguing against going to fight in the war but also how people have died in the war and that this is why we should not be at war any longer. They are similar in the feeling that it shouldn’t have been our war in the first place and troops are being killed because of the way the war was handled. If you compare source three with the other sources they are about the same the same thing but they have different views on whether the troops should stay there or not. Source four talks about the troops and that they should not be pulled out now but should stay in Iraq to finish the job. But source three is more influential because Tony Blair is the one who is talking in that one and it gives his opinion. But near enough the source all talk about the troops coming home. In all of the sources we feel a sense of doubt and it seems clear that Britain went to war without understanding the consequences. Now it seems that the feeling is ‘we made the mess, so we should clear it up’.
Conclusion
I think that the troops should stay in for a little bit longer just to finish some loose ends but then they would get pulled out as soon as they have done that because we can’t lose any more lives than we already have. Tony Blair believes that he has made the right decision when he ordered the troops to go in to Iraq and he has no regrets that he has done because he wants to help his fellow country in war and he feels that he would make the same decision again if necessary .If we pull out now, the good people of Iraq will suffer – they did nothing wrong and deserve our support. But overall I think that people would really like the war to end and for the troops to get reunited with their families.
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Appendix
Source 1
POLL CALL TO PULL OUT OUR SOLDIERS
The Mirror
Sep 1 2003
By David Seymour Group Political Editor
DEMANDS for British troops to be pulled out of Iraq are soaring, says a new poll.
More than three out of five people now believe our forces should start coming home.
The figure is revealed in an exclusive survey carried out for the Daily Mirror and GMTV.
Pollsters ICM Research discovered that 29 per cent thought British troops should come out now. Another 32 per cent said there should be a phased withdrawal, with a final date set for the last soldier to leave.
But Tony Blair shows no sign of taking their advice.
WHEN SHOULD BRITISH TROOPS PULL OUT OF IRAQ?
As soon as possible29%
Gradually, but with a final date set32%
Stay as long as necessary32%
Source 2
Islam Online
3 UK Soldiers Sent Home After Refusing To Fight in Iraq
A British soldier returning in a coffin from Iraq
LONDON, March 31 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A pair of British soldiers in the Arab Gulf faces up to two years’ jail after refusing to fight in Iraq, a leading British newspaper reported Sunday, March 30.
The duo, believed to be a private and an air technician, told officers they would not take part in a war in which innocent civilians were killed, said the Mirror newspaper.
The two men from 16 Air Assault Brigade, heavily involved in the fighting in the south of Iraq - are believed to have been sent back to their barracks in Colchester, Essex.
A third serviceman faces court martial after refusing to travel to the Gulf. Others are believed to have refused on religious grounds.
There are many voices of opposition to the U.S.-British offensive in Iraq here.
A 10,000-strong march by a coalition of Muslim groups in Newham, East London, was the largest of scores of anti-war demos staged across Britain on Saturday, March 29. According to recent polls, majority of Britons believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein does not represent a sufficient threat to justify a war with the country or that the Arab country’s alleged weapons of mass destruction represent a global menace.
Former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who resigned from the government in opposition to Iraq invasion, lashed out at the British government demanding that British troops be pulled out from Iraq.
Source 3
Blair vows he'll fight on
No regrets over Iraq, he tells his party
PM concedes war has divided Britain
SANDRO CONTENTA
EUROPEAN BUREAU
BOURNEMOUTH, England—A defiant Prime Minister Tony Blair has vowed to plow ahead with policies that he acknowledges have "battered" his popularity and deeply divided Britain.
"I've not got a reverse gear," Blair told delegates to his Labour party's annual conference at this seaside town yesterday.
With public opinion polls indicating half of British voters want him to resign, Blair recognized that his reform of public services and his decision to wage war against Iraq continue to cause widespread outrage.
"Iraq has divided the international community. It has divided this party, the country, families, friends," Blair said.
"I know many people are disappointed, hurt and angry. I know many believe profoundly the action we took was wrong."
But despite striking a conciliatory note, Blair made clear he had no regrets about launching a war alongside U.S. President George W. Bush and without the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
"I would take the same decision again," Blair said.
The speech to delegates was considered a crucial test for a prime minister facing a crisis of confidence among voters and members of his own party who believe he has strayed too far from Labour's socialist roots.
Source 4
Iraq: British Public Concerned By Attacks on Troops, But Against Leaving
By Jan Jun
Continued attacks against coalition forces in Iraq have citizens in the U.K. concerned about the fate of the roughly 10,000 British soldiers still based there. Still, many Britons say they want Western troops and civilian administrators to "finish the job" and stay in Iraq until peace is restored and a democratic government is in place. Experts, however, say that support could quickly drain away if attacks on soldiers continue.