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Men in the Iraqi Army in Habbaniyah, Iraq gather together. Although the Iraq War officially ended in 2011, U.S. troops are still deployed there, according to J. Kael Weston, who spent seven years as a State Department representative with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. (J. Kael Weston)

J. Kael Weston spent seven years as a State Department representative with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan and wrote the bookThe Mirror Test: America at War in Iraq and Afghanistan.Although Weston said he does not believe the Iraq War was justified, he said he believes the U.S. needed to do its best to make sure the Iraqi government is stable before pulling out.

A vacuum is probably the worst outcome because then we really dont have an influence, not only militarily, but we also dont havean influence on the politics in that country, Weston said in an interview on the BYU campus as the White House announced Iraqs emergency status is being extended past May 22, 2017, for one year.

The U.S. is reportedly considering sending more troops to Afghanistan, according to a press release by Sen. MikeLee, R-Utah.

The White House statement says the emergency status would continue becausethe obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq; the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country and the development of political, administrative and economic institutions in Iraq continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Weston said a general asked for an additional 45,000 troops, and he predicted the general would get that at a minimum.

Weston said he has always believed the U.S. should have as few troops as possible in Afghanistan for as long as necessary, but he did not know how many troops that would be. He said approving the troop increase was better than not approving it.

I do think its too risky to abandon the longest war in American history, Weston said. The instability, I think, could create a situation where terrorists who do have designs to attack us could have a safe haven.

The War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War began in 2001 and 2003, respectively. Both are considered part of the War on Terror. Weston saidan interesting difference between these two wars and past wars is how disconnected the American home front is from the wars being fought.

Wars, in a way, are easier to fight when the people are disconnected from the wars because the pain is not felt in the communities; the pain is not felt in a more shared sense, Weston said. Its felt by a very narrow part of our community, particularly the military.

Weston said he wrote his bookto give a voice to the Afghans and Iraqis, as well as the troops who have experienced the wars.He said there is power in providing them a voice from the grave.

We owe it, I think, to the Iraqis and the Afghans because our war front is their home front, Weston said. They never get to redeploy to a safe place. The wars just still going on in their neighborhoods and in their villages.

University of Utah student John Snook spent 18 months in Afghanistan and 20 months in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army from 1998 to 2004. He said its important for Americans to understand how many people in those countries want to remove the terrorists as well, not to be labeled with them.

Were not fighting everyone, Snook said. Were fighting a few select.

Ted Ellsworth, a BYU alumnus with a bachelors degree in Middle East Studies and Arabic, was president of the Middle East Studies Arabic Students club. Ellsworth said people need to remember those in Afghanistan and Iraq are trying to deal with the conflict, as well.

We tend to kind of distance ourselves from it rather than viewing the human aspect of it, which is that these are numerous people, many of whom are suffering as a result of the conflicts within their country, who dont feel passionate about any particular group, who just want peace, Ellsworth said.

Ellsworth said he also wished people would stay up-to-date with the current events around these issues. He said while the complexities of the wars can be intimidating, people need to study them because America has entangled itself in these countries and our actions have consequences.

Yes, there are ways to simplify the conflict, but dont oversimplify it for the sake of ease, Ellsworth said.

Weston said these wars have showed the U.S. some important lessons not only about others, but also about itself.

Finally Ill say that these wars have taught me for seven years that we have limits, Weston said. The United States has limits, and thats not a bad thing to know. It took us a long time, I think, to acknowledge that.

Kelsey is a News Media major minoring in Women's Studies at BYU. She loves reading the news, especially world news and politics, and spending time outside. She currently serves as staff writer for the Metro Desk.

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US still needed in Iraq, former State Dept. representative says - Universe.byu.edu