In a nutshell, isn't WAR all about money?

Question

I know there are many reasons why our countries go to war but I find the politics of it all really hard to understand. I have looked on the internet at different sites that discuss the current war in Iraq but I find it so complicated. It was always my understanding that in the current War, we sent our troops to war so that they can intervene and stop one side in a country from attacking the other side (i.e. Sadam mistreating his people etc.). Isn't the real reason why we get involved in the conflicts in one country due to the oil and money? I once read that if one of the dictators got complete control over it they would make the price of oil mega expensive. Sorry if I sound really dumb, I would just like to know people thoughts, in a nutshell if possible as I don't understand it and feel I never will. Any links to websites that contain easy to understand info would be great. Thanks

Answer 1

War is not about money. It is imposing your political will through force.
Incidentally, it has been said that diplomacy is only stalling while your military gets ready.

Answer 2

This is a great question and unfortunately can only be answered with speculation. Unless you were a part of the decision making group to go to war or not you can only imagine what the motivation was. It appears money is a major motivator. It certainly decides who gets to run for public office in the USA. Money is the motivator to legislators to make policy or pass bills. I have to believe money is the motivator of this current war. If freeing an oppressed people was the motivator, why then not all the other nations who openly maltreat its people. The Mideast is such a large contributor to the world's oil supply that we can not afford to have controlled by anti-free world leaders. Therefore our nation manufactured a rationale to invade Iraq. I could go on but, yes, money is the bottom line. This business of fighting terrorist there so we don't have to fight them here is a weak argument. Believe me you are not dumb to ask this question. Whether this is war is based on the right motivator or not is not the real issue. The real issue is how the leadership has conducted the war and how money may have been the motivator in the Bush administration's game plan rather than freeing an oppressed people. Thanks for asking this really important question.

Answer 3

Too many simpletons answering this question. War is not all about money. Those who believe that need to check their history books. If you're looking for a website, or more information on the history of war, start with reading Karl von Clausewitz.

Answer 4

Go to the Whitehouse website and read about Iraq and the war on terror straight from the people who are leading this important battle.

You should also make it a point to learn and understand the dangers of radical islam and how it is reshaping the world and costing the human race so much pain and suffering.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/

Answer 5

You don't sound dumb. Don't think that for ever asking a question! I believe the answer to you question is yes: war is all about money. I see one answerer (and surely a lot more) saying it's about "fighting the terrorists there so we don't have to fight them here." That, I believe is untrue and a bad strategy.

I believe that bombing Afghanistan was a good idea because their regime at the time (the Taliban) harbored bin Laden and needed to be stopped.

Iraq, however, was a nation on its knees from the first war and the first Bush. There were no terrorist training camps, etc. There was no need to invade unless you wanted control of the oil, which of course the Bush royal family wants.

I recommend you see some documentaries. Links provided.

Remember, you are a smart person - if it all seems over-complicated, chances are they are telling the story to confuse you and therefore to hide their lies.

Answer 6

A young boy named Anakin is found to be extremely powerful in using a supernatural power known as the "Force". He is trained by other Force users known as "Jedi". When Anakin gets older, he falls in love. An evil force-user named Palpatine (the Emperor) manipulates Anakin into becoming evil. Anakin and the Emperor kill nearly all the Jedi and turn the galaxy into a dictatorship. Anakin and his love had had twins before Anakin became evil. However, Anakin did not know these twins were born, and so they were kept hidden from him by the few remaining Jedi. When Luke, the boy of the twins, becomes older, he is taught by the remaining Jedi how to use the Force. With the help of his friends, such as Han Solo and Leia Organa (who is actually Luke's twin sister), Luke manages to defeat Vader and the Emperor. The end.

Answer 7

Perception, if you are with the military and feel you really are helping the people like Iraq then the answer is no. If you are in this country and only read the death list and cost of the war then the answer is yes. Something you might consider is to correspond with someone in the military in Iraq to see if your view isn't too narrow.

Answer 8

There will be historians in the future that will lambast this administration for going to war for a reason other than money.

The reasons we went to war in Iraq are fairly straightforward. First, Iraq has lots of oil--if it didn't have oil, we wouldn't have troops on the ground. The second part of the answer is that Neo-cons wanted to put a theory to test--could you start a reverse domino effect in the MidEast to bring about peaceful democratic states? These same Neo-cons successfully changed Latin America, with a combination of military and economic pressure, such that there are no more dictatorships in the region. They figured that they could use the same thing to transform the Middle East, which has languished in authoritarianism even in the presence of great material wealth. These same Neo-cons were hawks in the Nixon, Reagan and Bush Sr admins and felt particularly wronged by our leaving South Vietnam. The reason we stay in Iraq, even though the evidence is overwhelming that our effort will ultimately fail, is because the same people advising Nixon to hang in there just a little more in Vietnam, are now seniors in the current admin saying the same damn thing.

Answer 9

Yeah, I'm pretty sure George Washington and the gang staged the American Revolutionary War just to make the big bucks. But you are correct; it is complicated. And no, you don't sound dumb.

Answer 10

Almost every war is over land or resources. One side attacking other over something they want. With the exception being wars of ideology or race.

Answer 11

Of course you have to have money or you cannot go to war in the first place so you can strip and burn and keep what is left.