The Iraq War retrospective Thread

[kandrathe]

Then the game is to body snatch them.

That might have worked. Although, it would have been extremely difficult and taken years of infiltration and even then against incredible odds. Also, its against the US laws.

Two men well in the public eye, both of whom were far better versed in foreign policy and bayonets than you or I, Anthony Zinni and James Webb (there were others, but those were two men I have met) were publically and vocally opposed to the war in Iraq due not to any silly moral argument, like what is going on in this thread, but from a powerful practical geotstrategic argument:

By taking out Iraq, Iran's core rival is neutralized, and the biggest pain in the nose to American policy in the Persian Gulf, Iran, wins out by default, all risks of Iraq fragmenting like Yugoslavia being extra salt in the wound. Containment worked for 40 years vs the USSR, and has worked more or less for fifty plus years versus North Korea. The argument for "why now" was never answered. Please do a search on my name, and the "why now" question on this forum if you like.

The policy decision to implement democracy at the point of a bayonet was a gamble, not a risk, that assumed away a lot of unpleasantness within the borders of what is called "Iraq" due to British lines on a map.

I agree with your position. I think Saddam was the madman who gave Iran nightmares. However there was also the drifting of Iraq toward embracing more Wahabi extremists, and training, funding, supporting their actions abroad. Especially as tools against, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, but also against the US, and UK. Iraq had become a nightmare for more than just Iran. That trend might have ended with the decapitation of Iraq's top leadership, but probably not.

Saddam being deposed as a good thing, sorta, but two things that attended it are not so good:

• Five straight years of Civil War in Iraq<>
  
• Saddam's hanging, and the political message that sent: yeah, it was a lynch mob we supported by going over there.<>
  [st]A variety of lesser bad things have also come out of this Iraq war, which need not be listed here.

I think in the future, the analysis of this war Jus Post Bella, will be rife with criticism. Especially in the first year. Subsequently, we've had to dig ourselves out of a pretty deep hole just to get some forward progress. Personally, I wish Saddam, Uday and Qusay had been tried for every crime against humanity they committed. Not knowing how the post war would turn out, I think there was also a rush to judgment to prevent the miraculous escape which would only fuel his legend for survival.