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How the Philippine-American War and Iraq War are cyclical in U.S. history

Introduction

The Philippine-American War, also known as the Philippine Insurrection or the Philippine War of Independence, officially lasted from February 4, 1899 to July 4, 1902. The war was the result of the Filipino struggle for independence. Filipinos had fought Spanish colonial rule since 1896, with limited success. After the American victory over Spain in the 1898 Spanish-American War, the Filipino resistance, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, hoped for the independence of the islands and rejected acquisition by the United States. Fighting between the new republic's poorly equipped Philippine Army and the American Expeditionary Force in the islands began in February 1899 (Stanley, p. 50).

On the other hand, the end of 19th century brought the war of terrorism. The war, part of President George W. Bush's global War on Terror, was an effort to bring down the regime of Saddam Hussein and disarm Iraq of suspected weapons of mass destruction. Coalition forces, composed primarily of British and American troops, began the operation with a "shock and awe" bombardment of precision-guided missiles, aimed at crippling the Iraqi army and government (Stachecki, p. 30). Both the war was based on the defense policy of United States and its involvement in international security.

Thesis Statement

Philippine-American War and Iraq War are cyclical in U.S. history on the basis of U.S. defense policy and its involvement in global security.

Discussion

By the end of the 19th century, the growing economy in the United States spurred a greater interest in international affairs, in part to find new markets for trade but also for political reasons. Manifest Destiny now would extend beyond the Western Hemisphere, making the United States a world power and increasing its defense commitments. In the Spanish-American War the United States gained control of Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and also Guam and the Philippines in the Pacific ((Stanley, p. 50). It did not enter World War I until 1917, three years after the global conflict began, and then only because German submarine warfare refused to recognize the rights of neutral countries such as the United States. Although American defense interests had grown, defense was still defined largely in national terms.

The Allied victory renewed questions about American global responsibilities in defense policy. While defense spending dropped sharply following World War II, U.S. security interests had expanded considerably with the origins ...