How did we benefit from the War with Iraq.. ?

Question

A side of having Higher Gas prices, 800 billion in Debt, More countries hating us, Unnecessary death of our soldiers and Dubai Land. I really want to know. What did we accomplish ? Beside adding more dirt to the pile over there.

Answer 1

Keeps terrorists bogged down. Best defense is a good offense.

Answer 2

It would depend on your definition of good.

On paper at least the Iraqi people now have a "more or less" democratic government (The less being the fact that thousands of people were arbitrarily bared from standing for election, the fact that more people are dying everyday than under Saddam Husein, and the fact that the utilities are worse, public services are worse, and so on).

The real benefit however is that it has allowed Washington to offer massive cash bailouts to all kinds of people off of the books without them having to announce anything that they are doing anything so unRepublican as admitting that they are subsidizing ailing industries against basic capitalist principles.

For example, Washington has managed to redirect billions of dollars of tax payers money to companies such as Boeing (which was hit hard by 9/11) by granting them huge contracts in defense and Iraq reconstruction.

Haven't you noticed how most of the US money spent on reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan has gone to US companies who pay their workers large "danger" bonuses, rather than to much cheaper local companies whose workers cost a fraction per head of what US workers cost?

Companies that suffered because of defense cuts after the end of the cold war have also benefited massively. Tanks that were previously sitting idle now need to be transported and maintained, and new tanks need to be built. The same with jets and helicopters. The makers and maintainers of these big ticked items are having a second childhood with the amount of tax payer's money that they are raking in. A big change from pre 9/11 when American defense contractors were mourning the fact that the US military barely needed them any more.

Another benefactor has been the neo-con lobbyist. During the Clinton years they were forever failing to get totalitarian bills through Congress. Now they can get all kinds of fascist garbage just walked though either by tagging them on to the end of bills to support wounded veterans, or by scaring everybody into thinking that the CIA really did need to be able to tap domestic phone calls without a warrant.

Answer 3

You and simple people did not benefit maybe.

But there are Hallyberton, GWB&Co who have got what they wanted so much - cheap oil.

Answer 4

We got to test out lots of new equipment and improve some existing equipment. At a cost of many US military lives.

Answer 5

Some people still don't get it. The Iraq war did not happen because Iraq was involved with 9/11. The war happen because 9/11 'woke many people's eyes', and they realised that they cannot let a threat build to the point of biting everyone in the ****. Bush said Saddam was a threat and did not say he was involved with 9/11.

Everyone believed Saddam had WMD. In fact, he did, around 500 found thus far; they were old stock, though, so I guess they "don't count". Saddam had invaded another country and executed hundreds of thousands of his own people. If he cares that little about his own people how do you think he feels about the US, which he swore as his enemy?

He tried to assassinate former president, George Bush Senior (isn’t that an act of war?), and he supplied money to Palestinian families of the terrorists who suicide bombed against Israel. This was to ensure that the families were rewarded once the bombings took place and they'd killed both children and adults in pizzerias and busses, often targeting children specifically to create the biggest "shock" effect.

Further, he actively aimed and shot at planes patrolling the no fly zone (yet somehow this isn't an act of war too), and he continuously thumbed the inspectors. Documents have shown that the moment sanctions collapsed, he planned to pursue WMDs again. Additionally, sanctions were about to collapse because he had bribed the UN through his oil for food program. His pursuit of yellow cake was, in fact, real despite the faux investigation.

Saddam was given every chance to cooperate and stop the war in advance, and he was responsible for his actions for bringing about a war in his country.

The entire lesson of 9/11 is to stop threats before they happen. Thank goodness Saddam didn't have WMD ready for use or many more people would have died on the battlefield. If the US waited until Saddam built weapons again and he was allowed to pursue nuclear technology, Saddam would have been an extremely dangerous person to pursue. At the time, the world believed he was an extremely dangerous person to pursue due to his perceived WMD cache. Everyone should be thankful that this turned out to not be the case!

The only reason Saddam hadn’t attacked overtly is because the trail would go back to him and his place would have been turned into a glass parking lot. Terrorists make an excellent, untraceable proxy to help kill his sworn enemies, don’t they? While Saddam may not have agreed with the philosophy of the terrorists - as they say the enemy of my enemy is my friend - Saddam would have had no problem handing over weapons to those murderous vile Islamofascists to kill Americans.

What makes anyone think Saddam wouldn't have passed the terrorists a nuke to put on a small boat off New York city with the end result *kaboom* bye-bye New York? What makes anyone think this nuke wouldn't have ended up in Israel with millions left dead? Saddam killed his own people - those who crossed him, and the US stopped his invasion and encouraged his people to rise up against him. Israel is just Israel and what excuse does one need in these Middle East crackpot regimes to kill Jews these days?

The war in Iraq still wages on because Iraq is being used as a proxy on several fronts. Iran and Syria have their paws in Iraq and they are fighting a proxy war. The terrorists have a stake in destabilizing Iraq to make a new Taliban-style country filled with new terrorist training camps now that the US has destroyed them all in Afghanistan. Finally, old Saddam remnants want their glory days back. War is not a walk in the park; get a backbone people.

Being in a proxy war isn’t completely bad. The terrorists are being killed by the thousands. These are highly trained terrorists that have been educated on how to murder us. Thankfully, those dead or captured terrorists will never get that chance. The terrorists are not being created; they are being drawn out to fight from the surrounding areas and thus paint themselves as targets where they stand. Shouldn't the already existing number of terrorists be a red flag to people? The terrorists' numbers are large because the entire area is a spawning ground for them (and has been a spawning ground long before the US moved in). These grounds must be mopped up and cleaned for good.

The Iraq war was not a mistake. Had Saddam been left as leader of a nation about to have its sanctions removed, there would have been an extremely dangerous threat left to fester. Every day that that madman was left in power was a day closer to the US being attacked. Does anyone actually trust Saddam enough to let him build up weapons? Does anyone think he would not use them against his sworn enemy – the US, and all its allies? Is it not better to attack Iraq at its weakest point before more weapons can be created? I know some people would like to pretend that the threat did not exist or was not real enough to worry about. Hello! 9/11 people? Waiting until the threat is at the doorstep is too late!

Further, Iraq did not take away from Afghanistan. There are difficulties in operating in Afghanistan that have nothing to do with the number of personnel assigned to the area. The safe zone inside Pakistan where the US soldiers can’t go makes capturing all the left-over cockroaches complicated. The old ‘nanny-nanny-boo-boo’, you can’t get me trick! Further Afghanistan is not a pile of rubble anymore. Serious reconstruction is happening in many areas and massive bombings are just not an option anymore. A terrorist organization that blends itself into a population is tricky to obliterate. What do people expect the terrorists to do... wear a sign labelled "I am a terrorist"?

Anyone who believes that destroying the terrorists should be easy is smoking something illicit. Get a grip on reality and support your troops in a war that must be won against this enemy. I am pleased that the Canadians are not running for cover despite the deaths of their countrymen, and I hope fellow Canadians continue to back a necessary war.

While Osama may not have been captured yet, many of his top people have been captured. Osama is on the run and no longer freely operating death training camps where terrorists learn how to kill our people day after day. He can no longer freely gather his troops together without being a target. Osama’s effectiveness has been reduced tremendously. His only hope is to believe the US citizens are too wimpy to stick around when things get tough so that he can rebuild his terrorist empire once we flee. Unfortunately, he may be right. Even if you still believe Iraq and possibly Afghanistan were mistakes, withdrawing is, essentially, a vote to support Osama's goal to rebuild in those areas. If you believe Osama should be allowed to rebuild, then you are hoodwinked and should not be trusted with the defense of the world. Further, you will condemn a population to a life of misery under Islamic extremists. Any good natured Muslims will be vanquished in favour of extremists and extremist teachings.

As for most of Europe – you are toast. You have proven that you will not fight. Wonder why you have been attacked a number of times already and that attacks continue to be targeted even though you don't support the war? Because the majority of you are weak! You will not fight, but the enemy will fight you. You are foolish and ignorant beyond belief. You pat yourselves on the back at your high moral standards, but lack the morality to fight an enemy sworn to kill as many innocents as possible and enslave the rest.

While I do not relish at the prospect of your death, you have not proven yourself a culture worthy of survival. If you will not fight to live, then you will die at the hands of those you coddle. Grow a spine and fight them, or all of you must convert to Islam. It's the only choice your enemy will give you.

Wake up people and realize the world you live in is not all happy cakes and little frogs with magic hats!

This is the kind of enemy we are fighting:

Paul Williams details 'American Hiroshima'

America's real 'most wanted'

Still willing to take gambles of the good nature of Saddam after reading the kind of plots Al Qaeda wants to pull off? Still willing to risk that Saddam would never have ties with Al Qaeda?

Answer 6

How about listening to the people whose country the US is occupying. Or does what the people of a country want not matter to the US anymore? Prime Minister Maliki wants US troops out. Iraqi people wants US troops out. Why are US troops still not out?

Answer 7

dont be so ignorant!

operation iraqi freedom, does that ring a bell??

stop listening to the liberals and listen to what the soldiers have to say

of course every soldier wants to come home, but the majority of them know why they're over there and knows what needs to be done. no one likes war

it is the soldier who prays the most for peace.

i know its a pile of dirt over there, but that doesnt mean its not worth saving a life....

Answer 8

Some lines spoken on 20 Jan 1961:

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required, not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

Looks like we are back on track!

Next stop Tehran!

Too much of a soapbox for you? To bad!

1 less dictatorship. 1 more self governing country. We don't have to agree with what they vote for, we just get to know we put them in position to make the vote.

SSG US Army 73-82

Answer 9

The military industrial complex made a lot of money.