IRAQ WAR OVER...WHAT FOLLOWS WAS PREDICTED

2012

Was the war in Iraq worth it?

After over eight years of fighting yet another war on foreign soil...the fighting is finally over. At least for coalition troops. Thinking back over the course of this war it is important for us to reflect on what we should have learned. Of course it’s a shame that our leaders have such short memories.

Let’s start back at the beginning when what liberals have termed “Bushes War” first began. Were the intelligence reports about WMD’s (weapons of mass destruction) inaccurate, faked, or simply lied about? Did we invade Iraq with a primary purpose of creating a democracy in the middle east? Did we go to war to free Iraqis from the brutalities of Saddam Hussein? Did we go to war to protect the flow of oil? Did we go to war to help the manufacturers of war weaponry and supplies, and to help stimulate our economy? I doubt if any civilian will ever know the true answers to any of these questions.

We do know the results. We did not win the war. Instead we abandoned the fight and this country just like we have in every war since WW II. Just like we will soon do in Afghanistan.

We leave behind a huge cost in dollars and human lives and suffering. The best estimates I could find show that we spent over one trillion dollars on this war. Worse though are the costs in terms of human losses. We know that 4,482 brave American made the ultimate sacrifice by dying in this war that would never be won. Another 32,000+ Americans were wounded and many of these will be disabled for life. Approximately 55,000 Iraqi insurgents were killed...though given our military leaders past penchant for exaggerating enemy casualties...who really knows. Like in Vietnam, we report a killing ratio of at least ten times greater than our own losses...yet we don't end up with any sort of victory. The other incredible statistic is that over 100,000 Iraqi civilians were killed. Add to all of this human suffering of the several million Iraqi citizens who have been displaced. Finally, add to these numbers the deaths and injuries that will result from the sectarian violence that is beginning to unfold now that our forces have withdrawn.

I remember when the war first started reading an article in the WSJ in which a middle east expert tried to warn U.S. leaders that they had no idea what havoc they were about to unleash by entering into this war. This person (whom I am sorry to say I cannot recall his name) said that Iraq was a country that could only be held together by a tyrant like Saddam Hussein. He also said that we should not enter this war without a clear exit strategy. He went on to explain in detail that this was a country of tribes and religious sects that have historically hated each other. The largest segment of the population, over 85%, are Shia Muslims, with the remaining population being Sunni (which includes the Kurdish Sunni population in the north). Saddam Hussein was a brutal leader, of that there is no doubt. Saddam as a member of the small minority Sunni religious sect had ruled the majority Shia, and even the Kurd with an iron fist. This fellow said that with Saddam gone the payback from the majority Shia population, who had long been under the minority Sunni control, would amount to a genocide once this yoke was lifted. Add to the equation the fact that the only other large Shia majority country in the world is neighboring Iran...one of our most worrisome enemies. What has already begun to happen is that we are seeing the inevitable war between the sects begin to unfold. It will only get worse. It will only be a matter of time before Iran takes over Iraq and unites to form an even larger Shia Muslim country. I’m guessing this is Israel's worst nightmare.

Many critics call this “Bushes war” but that spins the facts just a bit. Many Democrats from both houses voted in favor of the war resolution. Remember in 2001-03 the House consisted of 211 democrats, and 39% of them supported the war. In the Senate which was evenly split between both parties, 48% of the Democrats supported the war. Democrats have to accept part of the blame. The truth is that both sides were supporting the military arms producers.

Was the war worth it? I don’t see how any reasonable person can answer in the affirmative. Looking back at this war eight years after it started, it seems obvious that this region and the Iraqi citizens would have been better off if Saddam had been left in power. The one positive statement that could be made is that that we most likely won’t again enter into another of these unnecessary wars because our country is going broke and we won’t be able to afford it.

These are my opinions. What do you think?

Mike Tower

Hendersonville, NC


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