In The News

[Kimarhi]

Afghanistan was legit unless you just want to let the enemies of your nation walk all over you.  Vietnam was a war of ideology that started with the US and its allies trying to bail out the French. 


Iraq was pretty shady though.  What is bad is that if we didn't go for oil (the US and its allies have won less oil contracts than Russia and China from Iraq) then it really had no point.  There are dictators all over the world.  It was more just like a weenie waving contest between the Bush family and Saddam and there was no Al Qaeda in Iraq until after the US invaded and knocked over the government.

I'm glad I never was involved in that one. 

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Funny story... When the US military planners began preparation for the invasion/liberation of Iraq, they code-named it "Operation Iraqi Liberation".

The name was later changed to "Operation Iraqi Freedom" after they eventually realized what the acronym spelled out.

Talk about a Freudian slip! 

[Kimarhi]

Sometimes I wonder if they originally went over for oil, saw the massive negative backlash of the invasion and occupation and then just decided to bail on it after the whole oil fracking thing came to be over here.

I've read many books about SOF involved in Iraq and at least whoever was giving them orders had them looking for WMDs so it wasn't like our elites were over there looking for oil sites instead of what the government had suggested was the reason for us going to war.  I don't know man.  Even if they didn't go over for oil, knocking off a dictatorship just because they have WMDs and then leaving the country half rebuilt where the flag of your main enemy now flies over some of its key cities is just as upsetting. 

Iraq all but wiped out Al Qaeda once without our help maybe they can do it again. 

 

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

I think Israel knew very well what was up with Iraq's various WMD programs. In fact, America has them to thank for setting back Iraq's nuclear weapons program by decades in the early eighties when Iraq was still in bed with the US. Of course, whether the Mossad chose to share their intelligence with their ally, I don't know. I'm sure the Israelis were quite (and understandably) keen on seeing Sadam disposed.

I followed the initial stages of the war very closely and like you said there was a definitely a strong focus on looking for WMD's. Of course it could simply have been due to the urgent need to find a justification for the invasion/liberation in the face of increasing global criticism.

[Kimarhi]

It just seemed shady.  Some of the early sound bites and documented meetings of that administration made it sound like invading Iraq was a foregone conclusion almost immediately after the Afghanistan invasion. 

I don't know how much of it was about oil, because I think only America and the UK have won one contract a piece from Iraq, but there is no doubt that some of the contractors used in Iraq raked in a huge amount of money because of the contracts the military signed with them as the civilian support. 

One of the popular things I've always heard was the Halliburton charged the American military 25$ per paper plate in Iraq.  Maybe nobody told Bush it was a bad idea with no connection between WMD and Al Qaeda and Iraq but they knew they would make money if they invaded anyways.

Or maybe they are just waiting to get those oil contracts years down the line when nobody is paying attention anymore.  I would like to think my government is better than that. 

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Yeah, hopefully the truth behind the whole affair will start filtering through after a few decades. Needless to say, I don't think the US would have attempted such a brazen invasion of Iraq if it wasn't for 9/11.

[Kimarhi]

Indeed, but I just feel that it was a convenient excuse.  If that was something the administration wanted to do they probably would've found a way to get there.  Or maybe there is some link. 

Only time will tell. 

[Crazy Rich]

Afghanistan was legit unless you just want to let the enemies of your nation walk all over you.  Vietnam was a war of ideology that started with the US and its allies trying to bail out the French. 

Yea, there are people who forget that the Vietnam War didn't start with America, it started with France, plus while we are at it Canada strongly supported America in Vietnam, because Canada itself was not in the war 30,000 Canadians jumped the border and enlisted (much like how many Americans joined the Canadians in both world wars while the U.S was neutral), 50 of them being Mohawks from a reserve near Montreal. 110 died, 7 were missing in action, and one Canadian earned the Medal of Honor, a sergeant with the 1st Cavalry.

And Canadians were in Iraq (2003 war) too, (though not in a direct war manner) particularly officers, Boeing C17 pilots, a handful of troops "on exchange", and in 2006 JTF2 special forces were successful in saving a bunch of hostages.

[DoomRulz]

Or maybe there is some link.

[BANE]

Nazis

United States of America.

[SM]

Afghanistan was legit unless you just want to let the enemies of your nation walk all over you.

None of the enemies were Afghani.

[Kimarhi]

Except the Taliban. 


The Taliban might not have had any direct hand in the 9/11 attacks, but when they wouldn't hand Al Qaeda over to coalition authorities they guaranteed Afghanistan's invasion. 

[SM]

If yer not with us, yer agen us.

Oh Dubya, it's hard to think of a time when you weren't a joke.

[Kimarhi]

I don't see this logic.  The Taliban protected Al Qaeda which killed citizens of multiple countries.  They also protected Al Qaeda's retreat over the border into Pakistan. 

Pretty much the only thing they didn't do was claim responsibility for the attack. 

[SM]

Minor details.