10 years after the Iraq war.

[Something completely different]

I have a opinion on this subject and a answere to the question if the Iraq war was a success or not.

But before I post it and then ask for yours, I would like to strech my tounge out into every American, British, Dutch, Australian and other faces and proclaim with a loud voice:

Germany stayed out of Iraq, due to it`s at the time great goverment, which had the foresight of seeing how inlegitemate the war was and what a catastrophy it would be.



Ohhh well, I guess that says alot about my opinion on the Iraq war anyway.
Well, what about yours?

[DeistPaladin]

I have a opinion on this subject and a answere to the question if the Iraq war was a success or not.

Worst American debacle since Vietnam. We learned nothing from that experience. Maybe we'll learn from this one.

If there was any justice on this world, the top members of the W Bush administration would be standing trial right now at an international court on charges of crimes of war, crimes of aggression and crimes against humanity. They lied us into this war and then incompetently mismanaged the reconstruction. Additionally, they lied other nations into this war so other soldiers from other nations also had to pay the ultimate price for their lies.

The Downside
- We took out our enemy's enemy (Al Qaida hated Saddam)
- We created the perfect playground for Al Qaida
- We squandered the opportunity to crush Al Qaida for the distraction that the war gave us from finishing the job in Afghanistan
- Thousands of our finest gave their lives to say nothing of the PTSD and severe injuries
- Not sure how many soldiers from other nations had to pay a similar price
- Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians are dead
- Millions of Iraqis are displaced
- A trillion or so dollars are wasted (by the people in America now crying over deficits and demanding "austerity")
- Our international credibility is squandered at a time when we need it to fight Al Qaida
- Iraq is in ruins

The Plus Side
- Saddam is no longer in power (though we've yet to see what he'll be replaced with in the long term, best case scenario is a Shiite theocracy friendly to Iran, worst case scenario is a bloody civil war)

Germany stayed out of Iraq, due to it`s at the time great goverment, which had the foresight of seeing how inlegitemate the war was and what a catastrophy it would be.

Good for you guys. I imagine the thought process was something along the lines of "hmmmm, a pre-emptive war sold to the people with scare tactics over a trumped up threat the target nation supposedly represents? Nein, danke. We've been down that road before. It doesn't end well."

[LastPoet]

Which Iraq war? The one by Bush or the one by Bush Jr?

[Something completely different]

Which Iraq war? The one by Bush or the one by Bush Jr?

I think historians call it "The third gulf war".

The first gulf war being the Iran-Iraq war

The second gulf war being the 1990 war (which was justified and well carried out)

The third gulf war being the mess from 2003

[LastPoet]

The second gulf war being the 1990 war (which was justified and well carried out)

Was it? Nothing like protecting oil interests with the guise of saving kuwait. I wonder if such thing would happen if it was just a barren wasteland... Kuwait was monopolized by US oil companies.

[Something completely different]

The second gulf war being the 1990 war (which was justified and well carried out)

Was it? Nothing like protecting oil interests with the guise of saving kuwait. I wonder if such thing would happen if it was just a barren wasteland... Kuwait was monopolized by US oil companies.

Doesnt matter what you think of Kuwait and the Oil buisness, in international law - if a nation undermines a other nations sovereignty and invades it for absolutly no reason (no agression rom that nation, no decleration of war by that nation,...) then every other nation on the globe which is not neutral is obliged to eighter boycott or declare war against it.

So technicaly speaking - Germany and France were actualy obliged to declare war against the USA in 2003.

[festive1]

I don't and didn't agree with the war. But I must say, I'm surprised the country is holding it together as well as it currently is. Yes, there are major issues (infrastructure, security, etc.) but it hasn't completely dissolved into a boiling pot of pig shit. The ironic thing is, the country that most benefited from the Iraq war, is our new, arch-nemisis, Iran. Way to stabilize the Middle East, America!

[Foxaèr]

I have a opinion on this subject and a answere to the question if the Iraq war was a success or not.

My perspective is that it was successful from the viewpoint of those who fought in the war on America's side. The American soldiers who thought they were fighting to protect their country and the government who knew the sole reason for the war was for the resources available in Iraq.

Even knowing the war was illegitimate, even though I disagreed with the war basically from the beginning, it was still a success in what it sought to seek in the end. Sad, but true.

[LastPoet]

So technicaly speaking - Germany and France were actualy obliged to declare war against the USA in 2003.

(bold mine)

You have grown soft, France, Its all about the croissants.

[Something completely different]

I have a opinion on this subject and a answere to the question if the Iraq war was a success or not.

My perspective is that it was successful from the viewpoint of those who fought in the war on America's side. The American soldiers who thought they were fighting to protect their country and the government who knew the sole reason for the war was for the resources available in Iraq.

Even knowing the war was illegitimate, even though I disagreed with the war basically from the beginning, it was still a success in what it sought to seek in the end. Sad, but true.

Even in that case it was not a success, because the americans hardly got the majority of the oil drilling contracts.
The contract for the biggest oil fields actualy went to the national chinese petrolium company.