Is the war worth it?

Question

War has wiped out about 655,000 Iraqis since the U.S.-led invasion, a study finds. "Since March 2003, an additional 2.5 percent of Iraq's population have died above what would have occurred without conflict," the survey said.

Answer 1

let me think:NO! how is it fair for so many innocent lives to be dead since we " have made a right decision"? it is not! nothing can justify this, not even the President with his long speeches since he started he war, went at war, put the US as the most hated country that i know of! look around, go to Europe and listen to what the people have to say about the US now-a-days vs. 10 years ago! now they trash us, and 10 years ago we were an honorable country! no country, no matter how big, such as the US, as well as arrogant and snobish should create such a tremenduous loss! who the hell are we to think that we can go, start a war, kill innocent people, get away wth it and everything will be okay?this is bull, you all know you buy you were the ones picking your president, not me! this man has done more harm than good, more debt than deficit, turned everyone against us, killed innocent lives by invading Iraq and for what? just for the sake of it? when you kill so many people with your troops in Iraq should not that be a red flag for the whole US that we messed up big times or are we too arrogant to look at what happens outside our own country? let more people, innocent people die until we decide to back out of there! how many innocent lives should go to waste because of one stupid mistake: the war?

Answer 2

No, and the US won't have accomplished anything in the end. Peaceful cities have been turned into rubble and thousands have died. We will be leaving them with a civil war. 70% of the people being killed now are dying as a result of Iraqi vs. Iraqi violence. If that isn't a civil war, what is?

This 655,000 is astronomical, but figures are always revised upward in wars, and the largest figures are often the ones that prove accurate in the end.

"An additional 2.5 percent" dead actually understates the impact of 655,000 deaths. It might be more telling to say that the annual death rate has nearly tripled; from 5.5 per 1000 people living in Iraq to 13.5 per 1000. That's the way the people probably experience it; three times as many of their family members and friends are dead.

Answer 3

Hard to say.

I'm reading at book called "A hundred and One Days" at the moment, by a Norwegian author called Asne Steierstad (she also wrote "The Bookseller of Kabul" which I would also reccommend about Afghanistan). She is a journalist who spent 101 days in Iraq, starting before and lasting until after the war. I'm not up to the "during" part yet, but it seems like life for Iraqis was terrible beforehand.

Of course I'll have to finish the book before I can tell you about the "during" and "after" sections. I didn't want to wait until I'd finished the book at answer because I'm a slow reader and the question would probably be closed by then!

Maybe this was one of those situations where there was no "right" answer - it would have been wrong to stand by and do nothing while Saddam brutalised and oppressed his people, but it certainly now seems wrong to have gone in and bombed the poor sods!

As someone else has already answered, we won't really be able to make a judgement until another 50 years or so have passed.

However I do feel embarrassed to be a citizen of a country (the UK) that supported Bush and Co so fully and unquestioningly in this badly planned "operation".

Answer 4

Nope. The main thing was to check for weapons (so that the rest of the earth were not at jeapordy) and to get rid of a dictator that the "victims" couldnt get rid of him themselves. It should have ended after those 2 things were done.

If the "people" cant re-organise themselves.....that was something THEY had to deal with and not for USA or anyone else to keep pushing. If a new dictator started doing the same stuff...then that would be another reason to step in...but they havent given them that chance. IRAQ will never be like USA as they have different beliefs.....but they do need to sort it out themselves now. And if oil is a reason the war keeps on...the lazy govt should find a way to not NEED oil anymore NOW and do without (as if it never existed)....so Iraq cannot use that as their "gold". You take away the usefulness of their land/prosperity....and they may find peace.

Answer 5

What war? I didn't know there was a war going on.

Oh, you must mean the shameless occupation of a sovereign nation by the United States.....kinda like Rome during the expansion.

And worth what? A home base in the Middle East? Certainly not for his fictional WMD'S. Maybe a holy war against the forces of evil doers?.... there are much worse human rights violators in the Middle East, some of them are our allies, why aren't we taking them out? Not even retribution for the twin towers....as there was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

So was it worth it? Only if you think this administrations personal satisfaction and re-election in 2004 is worth the deaths of over half a million people.

Answer 6

In order for a country to survive there must be a civil war. The question is, are we influencing the outcome of the battle for right or wrong? The taliban is starting to grow strong again in Afghanistan, as Americans we want to see all people enjoy the freedoms that we have. The question is, do they really want it?

Answer 7

To this question >

Its easy to say no, i might sleep easy turning away and closing my eyes

Its hard to yes, i will think about all the people suffering and pray for them instead of sleeping tonight

Which is the correct answer ?

To choose No, might save lives in the short term. But i feel i would be giving up just before the clouds break

To choose Yes, i have to face my creator someday and say -maybe my decision caused deaths but id do it again to stand up for millions of children to be born into a decent society like i was

Answer 8

There are no tangible benefits whatsoever from the Iraq War. It is a horrible boondoggle.
All responsible should end up in Levenworth!

Answer 9

War never has been, nor ever will be 'worth it'.
Muscle (personal and national) only, and always, gets used when the mental resources are depleted.

If you want to know exactly what leads to such (via usual stupidity) read The Pity of War by Niall Ferguson.

Answer 10

That really a question that has to be asked in retrospect years from now. Its difficult to stand on Normandy beach staring at the carnage of D day and ask the question. But history says we did the right thing.