are we right in being in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Question

I sometimes wonder were we right to depose Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. What makes us right to forcibly impose our will on these countries. If we were really wanted there, the killings would stop and peace would reign. We are told that only a small faction of terrorists are causing all the problems, it seems hard to believe that so few can stand up to so many and appear to be winning the war which i believe is 4 years old now.

Answer 1

You are right. This farce of a war has now gone on longer than WWII. The answer to this question is about the "Big Picture". The tribal people of the Middle East had not risen above their neolithic differences to align and form a lasting union of tolerance among themselves, as other nations of the world already had, when greedy foreigners descended upon those lands and began to plunder the oil there. Royalty and tribal elites were bribed. And, the CIA was used by U.S. oil interests, including those belonging to the Bush family, to deliberately destabilize the region for control and to prevent the people in the Middle East from uniting and controlling the oil themselves. Halliburton had the contracts to build the Al Qaeda training camps. Our new Secretary of Defence, Gates, was the man assigned to "build-up" and teach the Al Qaeda forces how to fight, to use them against the Soviets and we continued to use Al Qaeda up until 1999, I believe, in Bosnia. Bush's oil company, Arbusto, is business partners with the Bin Laden family and, as a gesture of friendship, Bush gave Osama's brother, Salem, the Houston Gulf Airport in Texas. Bush and his family and his associates significantly helped to create the terrorists that our soldiers fight today. And, they deliberately contributed to the chaos and suffering of innocent people there. The people of the Middle East, betrayed by their corrupted leaders and weakened by such foreign powers, failed to rise to the realities of the 20th century in time for the 21st. And, their future is grim. Middle Eastern oil production peaks in 2012 and ends in 2070. The plunder of Middle Eastern oil is now a desparate piggy-fest of who gets control of the remaining oil there. The societies there, so long destabilized, have disintegrated into episodic chaos and heightened religiosity as the quality of leadership plummeted. Foreign and local elite oil interests, concerned about security for their pipelines and oil fields now that factions of local power mongers, freedom fighters and religious fanatics threaten to disrupt the efficient flow of oil out of the land, placed foreign troops, including those from UK and U.S., in the region to ensure enough, but only just enough, stability to get the oil out. Many U.S. soldiers there now report that all they do is guard oil fields and a flow of oil profits that go to only a few people in the world. Even the plunder has grown chaotic with an estimated 500,000 barrels of oil going "missing" every day, securing someone's power in the future as oil begins to run out. $20 Billion U.S. taxpayer money that Bush sent in cash with his man Bremer was "lost" there recently. Not until Democrats raised a fuss did an investigation start and some of the Billions are supposedly accounted for. Bush marches through the region and wants to invade Iran now to lock up the pipeline routes. He is telling U.S. taxpayers that he must have $622 BILLION more! He has not said what he wants that money for, though. And, he refuses to state his "plan" for Iraq. He just says he has one. In order to have an initial foothold for the plunder march through the region, the U.S. pays Israel $30,000 every year bribe for every man, woman and child, plus, has given them weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons which the Isrealis have recently threatened (then denied) to use against the Iranians. Those are the only WMD known in the region aften ten years of searching for more. The search for WMD is a propaganda ploy to convince easily frightened U.S. taxpayers to keep supporting the "search". It is a ploy because arms dealers and their activities are well known by U.S. intelligence. Now, with a Democratic Congress and worldwide disgust for Bush and Cheney's lying and plundering and unspeakably irresponsible plundering of our own nation's financial security while racking up the largest national debt in the history of mankind, there may be some reasonable approach that will be considered and some way to help the people of those regions who have been disarmed and are now at the mercy of roving gangs of religious fanatics and other factions. Bush stated during the Presidental debates that "there would be NO nation building" there, though. He has no intentions whatsoever of promoting democracy there, unless it submits to his plans. Bush has no respect for the democracy in the U.S., either. He refuses to listen to the will of the American people or to our Congress and insinuates that anyone who disagrees with him is allied with "terrorists". He's a pig for saying that, by the way. Remember, Bush does not represent the American people. He represents the oil interests and war profiteers. He and his gang have done nothing but destabilize and weaken the United States. Bush has aligned himself and his interests in the U.S. with the Christian Evangelicals, 40 million strong, whose leadership reported last fall in "Faith and Nation" that they advocate for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government if their religious agenda is not made into legislation. And, they are preparing to fight their neighbors. Bush is contributing to the creation of even more terrorists in these Evangelical fanatics. Bush and his family supported Saddam when it suited them. They support whomever goes along with them or is most easily bribed with U.S. taxpayers' money. Bush supports the Shiites now because they seem the most easily "managed" and exploitable or amenable to the "Big Picture". That may change from day to day, depending upon the vagaries of the chaos. Bush hails from a family with a history for supporting terrorists. Bush's grandfather, Prescott, supplied at least one/third of Hitler's raw materials before President Rooselvelt and the U.S. Congress stopped him specifically with the Trading with the Enemy Act. Bush fully intends to invade Iran for profit. The so-called weapons that were found there recently are consider "suspicious" even by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Heaven help us.

Answer 2

I think most people in Iraq probably had a better life under Saddam than they have now. I never supported either invasion. So we were told Afghanistan were shielding Osama Bin Laden but the Americans have not been able to find him - was it really worth destroying a whole country? And as for deposing the Taliban - well the American administration had been quite happy for them to be in power and I find it hypocritical for them to start going on about the appalling way the Taliban treated women - they had been doing that all along. Oh and of course, it was the Americans that created Osama really and they supported the fight against Russia effectively opening the door for the Taliban- with hindsight that was a big mistake. America only cared when they thought it affected them directly. War solves absolutely nothing and as you can see now these two wars have created way more problems than we had previously. Afghanistan is once again flooding the market with heroine and Iraq, well, its not going to go away for a long time is it. And actually, Iraq had never been a threat to us and was not a host for terrorists. There is no doubt that our world is a much less safe place now than it was before we invaded. I bet loads of countries, especially if they have oil, are desperately trying to get nuclear capability because it seems that is the only thing which can protect you from the bully across the Atlantic.

Answer 3

Yes, I think we're right to be there. Remember the mass graves they found in Iraq and the way the people were treated? What use to be their soccer field, became an arena where people were beheaded, shot or whatever for no reason other than entertainment. What if, God forbid, that was the US and we were living (and dying) like those people were under Saddam and his sons? Besides the terrorist issue, wouldn't we want someone to help us? I can believe that only a small faction of terrorists are causing the problems, but they are not just terrorists from Iraq or Afgan. They are comming in from other countries and too, they can fade into the general population so easily. They don't wear uniforms and there are no physical distinctions. Every terrorist that is killed or put out of commission over there is one less left to be in on the next attack here!

Answer 4

Hector...."Every terrorist that is killed or put out of commission over there is one less left to be in on the next attack here!"

What Iraqi terrorist attacked American soil?

Its a good question but, its one that should of been asked 6 years ago. And the answer should of been yes to Afghanistan and no the Iraq.

Answer 5

We were completely justified in invading Afghanistan.
The Afghan government supported and protected on it's soil a group who declared war on us. They continued that support knowing we would invade.
Iraq was totally unjustified, it was theft for oil by oil executives masquerading as politicians, using the front of 'don't you want to beat your daddy' to a moron. And they committed numerous war crimes and civil crimes doing it.

Peace wouldn't reign if we stopped, but it is not our decision to make. We only have the right to protect ourselves.
The reason the war is being lost 4 years on against a terrorist faction that did not exist before the invasion is simple. America couldn't fight it's way out of a wet paper bag. The sooner they get out of Iraq the better for the true military peacekeepers.

Answer 6

Yes, we were right in Iraq, Just like when we stood up against Hitler, Mussolini (WWII), USSR (Ronald Reagan). Now it's the era of fighting Islamic extremist who are told to get 72 virgins in Heaven when they do their Jihad to infidels and whoever with the infidels.

We are positively sure that the war with Taliban were the right thing, but most Americans, even people around the world did not realize that we were right again for Iraq. Look at the 17 resolutions for 11 years to Saddam Husein after he tried to occupied Kuwait. Even from Bill Clinton and other countries like German, England, etc. That Saddam Husein had WMD and supported suicide bombers with $25,000 reward to their families. Saddam never listened to the resolution. He was the one who used chemical & biological weapons against his enemies, and for result hundreds of thousands of people killed. Take a look again to the Iraq war resolution from Pres. Bush that the WMD he mentioned was not the only reason why we went to war. Most of Americans were on his side when he decided to go to war, and got supports from most senators & congressmen.

This is a different war, where no people wearing uniform and nations boundary. We are ruled to follow the rules of engagement, but the enemies don't. Pres. Bush has said that this will be a long war, and not only in Iraq, but he said that Iraq will be the center and start to fight terrorism. Yes, I agree that there was mistake made in strategy, but we will make it. BTW, this is a war that took the smallest amount of casualties compared to other wars we fought. Do not be like what Osama bin Laden said when Clinton took office, he said that Americans don't have stomach to fight him. Yes, we are for peace, until we defeat evil, not sit down with them and negotiate. Evil is evil, they can not turn out to be a good angel. The only option we have is to destroy them.

There is no such thing as 'I support the troops, but against the war'. I can say that is bullshit. Don't repeat the mistake we made in Vietnam war, when people did not have stomach to end the war in the right way. According to Gen. MacArthur in order to end the war is to win it.

So, just give Pres. Bush whatever he needs to fight, not taking them like communication tapping between suspected terrorists outside US and inside. Patriot Acts. What he did was nothing compared to what FDR did in WW2. Do not worry that he is doing it within the law.

Don't be sound like the propaganda from the terrorists who sounded like anti-war people here in the US. 'Either you are with us or you against us'

Answer 7

We didn't invade Afghanistan. We are there with the permission and support of the Afghan government. And yes, we may impose our will upon the Taliban--until every last one of them is dead.

Answer 8

May be YES in Afghanistan but not in Iraq.

Answer 9

One more time! We're either over there, keeping Terrorism on the run. Or they bring it over here! 9/11 would be a walk in the Park. If we give those People another chance! Jeepers Creepers!

Answer 10

the total situation will make a unique land from pakistan to labanon/yemen ( including mid asia). the present divided is artificial.

Answer 11

I think Afghanistan has some legitimacy as it is a NATO mission not like Iraq and a personal vendetta.