What are the reasons ?
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What are the Reasons for the War on Iraq ?

Governments, like individuals, usually do things for more than one reason -- but always present the most noble one to the public.  In the case of the US war in Iraq a variety of possible reasons are easily identified.

  1. Terrorism – There is no evidence that Iraq had any involvement whatsoever in the attacks of 9/11.   
  2. Military Threat – None of the neighboring countries considered Iraq after the first Gulf War and 12 years of sanctions to be any threat.  How then could Iraq be any threat to the United States?
  3. Weapons of Mass Destruction – There was an active aggressive UN inspection process in place before the war that was terminated by the US.  That Iraq was effectively disarmed in this regards was further shown by the absence of any such weapons in their defense against the invasion.
  4. Regime Change – The regime of Saddam Hussein who was originally a US client has now ended.  Will we now see a popular independent Iraqi government, or a new client regime under the control of the US?  
  5. Oil – The huge Iraqi oil reserves are now under the control of the US, and favored corporations have contracts to repair and manage them.
  6. Domestic Politics – The war has definitely diverted attention from economic and social problems at home.   The cry of patriotism has served to silence many voices of opposition.
  7. International Relations – The Bush administration has pursued unilateral policies ever since taking office.  The launching of this war after failure to get UN approval for it is just the latest and most extreme example.  This approach may serve to intimidate others, but will further isolate the US and induce other nations to develop countervailing strategies. 
  8. Maintaining "Credibility" – The Bush administration created so much scare about the threats from Iraq and the need to take decisive action that they left themselves no way out.

Which do you think are the most important reasons?  Try ranking them from 1 to 10.

4/20/03

 

The love of liberty is the love of others. The love of power is the love of ourselves. -- William Hazlitt
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( This page was last updated on:  12/21/2004 )