Iraq War Pangs Yet Linger for the US

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2015/06/10/iraq-war-pangs-yet-linger-for-the-us/

Iraq War Pangs Yet Linger for the US
Published in People's Daily (China) on 20 May 2015 by Zhang Hong [link to original]
Translated from Chinese by Nathan Hsu. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
Posted on June 10, 2015.

Just what has the Iraq War of over a decade meant for the United States?

~snip~

More than a decade later, the wounds inflicted upon the United States by the Iraq War still sting just as keenly, so much so that even an event like the presidential election must dance to its strings. One can be certain that the specter of the war will continue to loom large over the nation for some time to come.

Today, the Iraq War is recognized as one of the biggest military blunders in U.S. history, and by some, even a humiliation. In a highly cost-ineffective campaign, the United States paid a heavy price and yet was unable to accomplish the strategic goals it had set for itself. Just as with the morass of the Vietnam War, the Iraq War has become a nightmare for the United States, exposing the fragility inherent within the world's only remaining superpower.

The Iraq War also dealt a heavy blow to the reputation of the United States. It did so not only because even the most skilled pundits have a hard time spinning it into a victory, but also because it gave the entire world a glimpse behind the facade of U.S. dominance. Prior to the start of the war, the George W. Bush administration vowed that it held solid evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and had links to al-Qaida, and without first obtaining the sanction of the United Nations, the United States committed itself to the conflict. The result, of course, was that the accusations were proven to be entirely groundless. Meanwhile, over the course of the war, news frequently surfaced of the abuse of prisoners and slaughter of innocents by the U.S. military, further tarnishing the United States' image.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. As a military blunder,

one gets the feeling that so many in the Pentagon and Congress want to return to get a different ending to the story. Of course the arms manufacturers want more profits.

[ShawnRIN]

2. Lets not put it in the "L" category yet

As long as the US is there its not a defeat. The victory will not take the form of a deposed dictator or a victory parade, but in statistics of human life and economics. Call it spin if you want, but don't anticipate iconic heros to gravitate to or landmark moments because it probably won't happen.

[unhappycamper]

3. Really?

There is no victory to be found in Iraq or Afghanistan.

[ShawnRIN]

4. Yeah really

Victory is obtained by constant engagement. The world wars, US Civil War, US Revolution, were anomalies to how most conflicts were fought. I'm personally glad my tax dollars are going, in some way, to prevent this type of stuff.

&bpctr=1434109281

[jakeXT]

5. I would like to hear more about the "strategic goals it had set for itself" /nt

[unhappycamper]

6. Oil?

Or perhaps to funnel more money to the MIC to make more good ole Merican weapons.

Whatever the reason, follow the money.

[jakeXT]

7. Sure, controlling it and denying it to others is a part

Cheney knew it would be quagmire and pieces of Iraq would fly into every direction.

The architects of the war, like Bolton, now want that new Sunni state

WALLACE: But when you say the state of Iraq has ceased to exist -- one, what does that mean? Two, what are the ramifications? Does it mean we're not going to put Humpty Dumpty back together again?

BOLTON: Precisely. Look, the Kurds now are de facto independent. They're not going back into Iraq under any circumstances voluntarily and I don't know anyone who's going to push them back. The Arabs divided between Sunnis and Shias -- I think the Sunni Arabs are never going to agree to be in a state where the Shia outnumber them 3-1. That's what ISIS has been able to take advantage of.

I think our objective should be a new Sunni state out of the western part of Iraq, the eastern part of Syria run by moderates or at least authoritarians who are not radical Islamists. What's left of the state of Iraq, as of right now, is simply a satellite of the Ayatollahs in Tehran. It's not anything we should try to aid.

http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2015/05/24/mike-huckabee-lays-out-path-to-2016-republican-nomination-amb-john-bolton-talks/

One of the prime goals of every empire is to foment ongoing internecine conflict in the territories whose resources and/or strategic outposts they covet.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/06/mess-iraq-design.html

[bemildred]

8. We had long discussions about exactly what has occurred right here before that moron invaded. nt

[ShawnRIN]

9. Its harder and harder to find folks who agree with the precepts of the Iraq war ...

but military action against truly evil people are necessary despite Edwin Starr's very cool song.