Is Iraq an unwinable war?

Question

How can we win it? Will it ever be worth the time, money, fear and lives that have gone into it?

Answer 1

"Will it ever be worth the time, money, fear and lives that have gone into it?"

Let's see :

1) They liberated Iraq that means no more threat to Kuwait no more no fly zone and pilots risking their life every single day being shot down and captured.

2) They got rid of a vicious dictator and his nasty sons

3) They killed lots of Terrorists who would be blowing up apartment buildings and killing us and they got the leader of
Al-Qaida in Iraq Al-Zarqawi a nasty piece of work who cut
peoples heads off.

Alot of good has been done in Iraq and Afghanistan just say thank you to the soldiers and pilots who have gone there and gave it their very best for you.

Answer 2

Iraq is winnable, but we're well past the point of convincing anyone who has already stubbornly made up their minds to the contrary. The key will be Iraqis, not us, winning this and stablizing the country. The notion that Iraq was better under Saddam is ridiculous; Iraqis themselves are glad that he's gone and is no longer terrorizing them and their families (I know this because I've been there, and I've asked them). The notion that this war should have been easy and quick without any casualties is also ridiculous, which is really what most of the war's opponents seem to think (showing they not only know nothing about war, but about the world in general). Also, the notion that 2600 dead over the last three years is an insurmountably high death count is probably the most ridiculous of all. That's over three years, and NOT counting the fact that quite a large number of that 2600 are from accidents, NOT from explosions or bullets. The death count is very, very, very low, surprisingly low. For any war that the US has been in for this length of time, it's an insanely low death count. On the flip side, despite their cowardly tactics of planting remote bombs, hiring suicide bombers, shooting haphazardly from cars, and otherwise using the civilian populace to hide behind, the enemy have suffered FAR more casualties, so much so that no one really has an accurate count of how many. Earlier answers pointed out shrewdly that their aspirations of complete annihilation of Western culture and religions, and of reinstating the Caliphate and reclaiming lands that were at one time under the yoke of an Islamic empire as far away as Spain, is not in dispute. They really want to accomplish these things and are not afraid to admit it, any more so than they are to kill innocent people. I seriously think that war opponents need to talk to Iraqis and American veterans and others who are directly involved in this conflict for their information and stop paying attention to media who have a deliberate slant on their reporting. If you really believe everything you see on TV, then you're already at a point where your opinion has little sway with what's really going on in the world. Iraq is in a part of the world that has been suffering from these problems for many, many years already... and it's downright arrogant to think that we can fix this in a matter of months and leave. This is going to take a long time to accomplish, whether you like it or not.

Answer 3

Iraq is war with a group of people who do no belong to that particular country, wear identifiable uniforms and conform to traditional military fighting form. The leaders of the Islamic jihadists in Iraq have openly admitted that Iraq is their front line of the assault on western culture as they attempt to create an Islamic state from Spain all the way through the middle east. If not Iraq, where would you suggest we go to confront the enemy? Let me ask you a very simple question. If I gave you a camera and told you that unless you get me a picture of an Amish family riding in a horse drawn buggy within the next 2 days your children would die, would you go to California with your camera, or would you go to Pennsylvania or Ohio? Please open your eyes to the fact that there has been a very detailed declaration of war against the west, Christians, Jews and the Jewish state. Do not beleive that if we just get out of Iraq that everything will be fine and peaceful. They were not peaceful before we were there. Many of the responders in these pages just can't be aware that this war actually began 20 years ago and has been carrying out operations and recruiting since then. Just because it wasn't until 9/11 that major death came to these shores should not discount the many previous attacks around the globe on us and our interests. The only way that the war can be won is if the average "Joe Islamist" stands up to the extremists amongst them and says enough of our children and babies have died. Otherwise the way of war will dictate that patience and restraint will be lost by American patriots and eventually we will not be able to disuade the government from a finality like other wars we've actually won.

Answer 4

All wars are winnable some are just not worth the loss of life. I do not believe we are there yet. 2600 is a pretty low casualty number for any war. They need to & I am sure are reviewing if it
is worth it. I believe democracy is worth my life. Yes, I am the mother of an Army Ranger & Officer, plus I have 3 nephews that I love over in Iraq, so I am willing to defend democracy at all cost. Ours & Iraqs.

Answer 5

The US wins any war it fights whole-heartedly. We only lose a war we give up on, like viet Nam.

That is why some of us get so mad when the media report only US setbacks but don't report the stories of our success. Ask a soldier that has been deployed how it is going and you get a totally differnt view of or success than you see on TV.

Answer 6

This question brings us back to this question: Why enter this war?

For a simple reason. You have to be proactive in engaging terrorism. Do you have to wait till Saddam acquires WMDs? Do you have to wait for a couple more 9/11? You are plain stupid and languid.

Answer 7

What is winning? Raising the American Flag in one of the palaces and declaring Iraq an American commonwealth? Or is it helping the Iraqi people achieve a mutual goal that would be in their best interests?
THIS IS GOING TO TAKE TIME!
Successful countries take years of going through trial and tribulations to find their perfect system. Yes it's effed up that our soldiers are dying. Yes it's effed up that iraqi brothers and sisters are dying. It will all be for a good cause. War is always glorified when you read it from a text book.

Answer 8

The only way to win a war is to not have one in the first place.

Answer 9

No war is unwinable, just depends on how bad you want to win it.

Answer 10

It is already won. Saddam's government is gone and 25 million people are now free. 12 million voted for their own constitution and government.

The current fighting is mostly just a clean up operation and fighting foreign terrorists. Which is part of the "war on terror", not the battle for Iraq.