Was the Iraq War Worth Fighting?

I don't think it was worth the financial cost to the American people and I wanted the U.S. out as soon as Hussein went down.

 

Not worth it, most people still don't know why the US went to war. When it comes to conflicts on issues of democracy, or going to war for the Liberation of other country, you can't just go into an independent nation and do it for them. They have to do it for themselves, whatever the issues, its theirs to solve, its their moment, their time to make a change for themselves.

 

Regardless of the question whether I agree(d) with the decision to go to war (which I didn't and still don't), I still believe it would have been worth fighting if a stable, well working democracy now persists in Iraq.

But it's still too early to tell. We'll have to see what happens after the US leave. Still possible that it falls apart in civil war between the different factions, or that one party or faction will stage a coup and establish yet another dictatorship, and/or that Iran takes over and establishes an islamist Shia regime there, for that Iraq becomes their satellite.

In all these cases, all the fighting would have been in vein and for nothing, it would have caused just unnecessary bloodshed, billions of dollars, and the situation for the Iraqi people would be just as bad as under Saddam, and the strategic situation just as bad for the US, if not worse, than it was before the invasion.

No. I would have wished that once the decision for invasion had been taken, there was a more thorough plan for a sufficient post-invasion stabilization. But Rumsfeld decided to go on with very few troops only, because he believed more are not necessary, because the US will indeed be welcomed and celebrated as liberators. Obviously, this did not happen. Instead, we had years of rampant crime, terrorist attacks and general instability.

But I think once the US decided to topple Saddam, it was their responsibility to clean up the mess afterwards and make sure they leave a stable Iraq that's worth living in for the Iraqi people.

Maybe now, the point has been reached where withdrawal is worth a try. Hope it works.

 

No, and it never will be. The architects and backers (major politicians who authorized it) of the invasion are war criminals and should rot in solitary confinement, as should the profiteers who will be raping the country for years to come.

 

I agree with Sim that it is too early to say either way whether it was worth it or not until we know whether an established democracy is established there (taking out the factor of losing the lives of American servicemen and women). I do believe in freedom and hope the people of Iraq can establish a free democratic country.

 

It would be SOOOO worth it if there was a legit reason for us to be there i.e. WMD, Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding there and furthermore if Iraq was an actual threat to us at the time of 9/11.

So.....no.

 

I think Sim is 100% on this.

Also, regardless of how we got here, the Western world now is sitting on the back door of Iran. Its good that we know exactly what they are doing and can hopefully better support the people inside Iran that are less radical.

 

How will some troops and mercenaries in one country let "the west" know exactly what another is doing? If it works like that, shouldn't the US have been able to know exactly what they've been doing when they invaded Afghanistan?

 

The Iraq war was a foolish idea, It was much too expensive, The only people to profit where oil companies and weapons manufacturers. The people who funded the war (taxpayers) should have got a profit-share.