What event or set of events determined that the US war on Iraq was doomed to failure? Defining moment?

Answer 1

We had no clear strategic objective and no EXIT STRATEGY.
We had insufficient levels of troops going in.
We had no plan to limit the destriction of power utilities. water
or waste water plants, - much less civilian casualities.
We had no plan to keep the Iraqi army intact for internal security/
We had no idea whart we were doing.
We had no justification for this invasion and occupation.

Answer 2

The defining moment was before the war even began - choosing to do it without the backing of the UN.

"Extending the war into Iraq would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Exceeding the U.N.'s mandate would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land." -- From "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam" by George H. W. Bush, Time Magazine, 1998

Guess what? We are now "an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."

Answer 3

It ain't over till it is over and the fat lady is not even getting ready to sing yet. As another one quoted Saddam already I will not. But why does every war start with everybody ready to fight the last war all over again. People change, tech changes, and and strategies change. This is the period that will be recorded as the Oil Wars. Not just the USA in Iraq but the Russians in Chechnya, Georgia and Turkmenistan. The Chinese watching carefully at their own interests along the China => Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan borders. India is also a large and growing economy with a deep hunger for Oil and the desire to solve its problems once and for all with Pakistan. Who would Europe side with when about 25% of their Oil supply is from Russia. Hmmm. It is like a pack of dogs growling over a bone and one is two are chewing at different ends of it. Throw in a Wild card state like North Korea with treaties floating everywhere with everybody and having nothing but a key to the back doors of the countries of China and Russia? Hmmm.
It could get real interesting real soon. Let us just hope the scientists figure out how to make the hydrogen economy work so that we can all forget about oil again, and have relative peace a bit longer.

Answer 4

I don't believe it is doomed to failure. I don't believe that our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq or Afghanistan for that matter believe it is doomed to failure. I do believe that our men and women aren't able to do the jobs to the best of their ability due to the criticisms being waged by the far left here at home.

I do believe that there are those in this country and in Iraq that want our mission in Iraq to fail for political reasons and they are enabling the insurgency with their continual anti-American rantings.

You are right about a defining moment. We are there right now. Either we come together as a Nation in support of the mission in Iraq or we continue to divide our Nation politically and weaken ourselves to the point of no return.

We all have a choice to make.

Answer 5

It may not be lost, but it is impossible to win with current levels of manpower and our current tactics. The only way to raise manpower levels is to restore the draft. The country is effectively in civil war. Our military is in the middle and can't stop it. The worst mistake we made of the whole war was in letting the Iraqi military disperse after invasion. Now many of the people we are fighting were probably in Iraqi uniforms back then.

Answer 6

I think that consequence after the war determined the US war
on Iraq was failure ,US thought it is fighting for freedom but no freedom appeared and angry reactions against US appeared in the Arabic streets.

Answer 7

hi
the iraq war from starting was a failure and i dont think there is one defining moment . we can say the abu ghuraib scandal , illicit toturing and killing of innocent was the points of failure .
the biggest failure was the sadness the war caused to the people of the country

Answer 8

The event was the appointment of the Secretary of Defense.

The defining moment was the rejection of the followup plan for post invasion actions.

Melissa A makes a very good point also

Answer 9

YOUR QUESTION IS PREMATURE...
It is NEITHER Doomed NOR FAILURE ..
AND NEVER WILL BE !

AT BEST , and likely IT WAS A MISTAKE !
In as much , it WAS A VICTORY, to remove
SADDAM. and THAT should have been IT .

as MUCH as I DISAGREE with Dubya ,
the US CAN 'FORCE' even a MILITARY
VICTORY , BUT it will have no long-term
Benefits, OTHER than TO TAKE OVER
IRAQ (which is quite POSSIBLE, BUT wont
be much fun). The Iraqi people being a herd
of religious deluded SHEEP , WITH THE
"RELIGOUS' part , being the main OBSTACLE.

in MHO , the Western powers should just
LEAVE, AND let the REGION DECIMATE
ITSELF, ..... T H E N have another GO ...
having learned the Lessons....

Answer 10

America has not failed entirely it has removed a tyrant who was forcing the country to live in opression and that alone was worth the fight. The current fighting in the middle east is like a new and improved Veitnam, no set peice battles and no one wins out right. These extremist confrontations are here to stay.