What is hoped to be accomplished by the war in Iraq?

Answer 1

You've asked perhaps the most polarizing, highly charged question possible. The answer will depend entirely on who answers.

Perhaps the most extreme point of view on the right is that Iraqis are in some way subhuman, that they need to be civilized and US is the man for the job. This position seems extreme today but once it was very common; the slogan was "White Man's Burden." Although I don't read any commentators who refer to this openly, I suggest it is a subtext for many.

The war can be seen as revenge for 9/11. It is very hard to validate any link between those particular terrorists and the regime of Saddam Hussein; but seen through the appropriate set of tinted glasses, "they're all alike".

Administration doctrine is that the prior Iraqi regime was building atomic, biological, and/or chemical weapons and was a direct threat to the security of US. While it's certain that Iraq employed chemical weapons in the most recent Iran-Iraq war, the other assertions have largely failed.

A slightly more moderate justification is that Iraq was a threat to its neighbors; this is bolstered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. This casts US not in the role of defender but of global policeman.

A number of loosely related justifications for the war all begin by accepting the fact that US is there *now*; they go on to say that US must therefore remain. In other words, regardless of how US came to Iraq, it would be worse if the troops left than if they stayed.

There is a line that states US wars in Iraq to protect the flow of oil from the region. Oddly enough, this is openly advanced most loudly by war protesters. However, the line plays into the hands of war supporters; middle America is highly sensitive to personal concerns. It seems that many give quiet consent to the war in hopes that pump prices will come down. This is unlikely; war is instability and that usually raises the prices of scarce commodities.

Some say that the war is personal adventurism for Bush. It worked for his father, why not for him? Every US President is driven to get that second term; Bush got it. Every leader is obsessed with how the history books will remember him. Wartime Presidents usually fare well.

More cynical observers think of the war, like so many wars, as being a sideshow or distraction. Domestic concerns -- taxes, welfare, jobs, environment, crime, education -- are all pushed off the front page. These are all extremely difficult problems to address, while a war is, at least in theory, winnable. And when one war is won, another can be started. Therefore, we're in Iraq because the Afghans lost too quickly.

Still further to the left is the notion that the war exists primarily to float restrictive laws and policies -- social control measures. Any objector to new laws is labeled a "traitor" and an enemy of US national "security". Americans have lived under extremely liberal laws for a long time; many would like to see less liberty and more control.

Perhaps the longest view is that War is a natural condition of Man. There need not be any goal; War is its own justification.

Please don't ascribe *any* of these views to me, personally. I only tell you what others say.

Answer 2

I don't know what's hoped to be accomplished, but I know what it's accomplished.......It's accomplished the National Debt to rise to an alltime high, it's caused gas and electric prices to rise to an alltime high, so that the average Joe American CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE AND SUPPORT THEIR own family without some type of assistance, so it's accomplishedco depency to the government of the USA, so that we can be at their complete mercy, it's accomplished many poor people to dye, it's helping population control, both by the poor soldiers who are being killed in the war itself, and the people who are going to starve to death, or dye from not being able to afford to have heat in the winter or air in the summer, it's accomplished a greater gap between the rich and thepoor and has elminated much of the middle class, the Oil owners have made record, all time high profits off of it. We've killed a lot of innocant civillians off in Iraq. I don't know, you tell me, what is hoped to be accomplished? It's all about the haves and the have mores!!!!!! And population control, if you ask my opininion.

Answer 3

The US hopes to establish definitive strategic control over the area's vast oil reserves. This will increase the ability of our domestic oil industry to control the price and supply of oil globally, which they will use to maximize their profit from sale of their own production.

It's basically a war on behalf of a private industry that has lots of pull in Washington.

They don't care what how many people get killed, because they're not fighting it. They don't care what it costs, because they're not paying for it.

Answer 4

Congress voted to give Bush the authority to a) go after terrorism in Afghanistan and b) topple the regime in Iraq.

Both missions were accomplished however we find ourself playing police officer until both governments are established.

Answer 5

Freedom and self-government for 25 million people.

An end to a murderous dictatorship that invaded two of its neighbors, threatened and intimidated others, and filled many mass graves with its own citizens.

An end to a murderous dictatorship that funded terrorism around the world.

An end to a murderous dictatorship that use nasty things like dusty mustard and sarin to murder thousands and thousands of its own people.

An example for middle eastern people that freedom and self- determination are a valid alternative to living under the oppressive yoke of sharia ala Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afaganistan.

Answer 6

I think that if 9-11 never happened, the soliders wouldn't be over there in the first place. I think thats their purose, to keep them on lock down so that there won't be anymore threats/attacks over here, although there have been more attempts after that. I well I don't know. Then I ear its cuz they want the oil

Answer 7

Thats a good question...i don't think anyone can really answer that honestly. I don't really know why we are there. I keep thinking its about greed and controlling the oil. I mean i honestly don't understand and my family is ripped apart for 18 months as a result of this. I am so sick and tired of this damn war

Answer 8

What was hoped for was the disposal of saddam and a stable free flowing oil market. Looks like the oil fell through, and when the new saddam takes over, he'll be a shia, and even more nutty, and unlike the old saddam, he'll support terrorism and fanatical believers. On the bright side, we get a new painful history lesson that hopefully we won't forget in 28 years.

Answer 9

Wazup B.
I guess we can only speculate & god knows you ain't gonna get the truth from the government. Not even the U.N. wants to answer that question.

Answer 10

to crush the upcomming challenger to US from middle east