Why are we [still] in Iraq?

What is our goal? Our mission?

What constitutes "victory" in Iraq?

What are the reasons for our continued occupation?

What were the original reasons for our invasion, that still stand today?

What must happen in order for the American Military to withdrawal from Iraq, and return to the States?

Anyone who remembers the fall of Saigon knows how difficult it is to get out of a country when it still has insugents fighting against the occupying forces.

reply to post by Double Eights

Thank you for starting this thread. I was going to ask the same questions.

I, like many other people, thought we were going to Iraq to fight the evil devils that had weapons of mass destruction and also to retaliate because of the 911 tragedy.

That evaluation does not ring true with me any longer.

I was a teenager when the VietNam conflict began and still don't know why we were there. Of course I've read many explanations but haven't been satisfied with any.

Hopefully someone will be able to answer our questions.

Again, thanks.

reply to post by Double Eights


goal- stabilize and get out safely
Victory- Iraq can fend for itself and build up economy, no civil war.
Reason for continued mission- screwed up when we went in.
Reason for going in- weapons of mass destruction, possible 9/11 connections-both seemto turn out false

What has to be done to get out- Next President must insist that Iraq do more for itself, give them deadline and start pulling troops out gradually. Some troops may come home but many will be sent to Afghanistan to shore up war there.

Because....
It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from overseas. ~ George W. Bush

..... duh



You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on. ~ George W. Bush

Well the Iraqis has become very intelligent and the oil barons has not gotten what they want from them yet.

Now on top of that the Iraqi government is been a littler bit too picky about how they want US role in their nation.

So as long as the Iraqis are so difficult and ungraceful we will stay in their nation.

Didn't Bush once say that we would get out of Iraq when the Iraqi's wanted us to? Well, Maliki just asked but Bush wants to postpone any discussion of the topic until after the next President takes office.

No surprise there.

With the prices of oil so high Iraq will be stupid to allow the corporate US barons to hold their only source of wealth for 50 years like they want.

Then having the US with so many bases breathing down heir necks.

The Iraqis know that their nation is going to become very wealthy, they will be stupid if they ,tied their wealth to the big fat greedy rats in Washington, when China is as good as a consumer as US will ever be with all their demands.

Bump.

Seriously, does anyone have any reasons for us to be in Iraq? What are our soldiers fighting for?

Because even though our own people want us to give up and leave, we know that doing so out of the blue would mean genocide. Like in Vietnam.

We can't get out because if we did the rest of the middle east could go up in flames as well.

I read ages ago that Osama's original plan was to start a war in the middle east and raise up armies of Jihad fighters. Thats why he targeted the US during 9/11, because he knew a US presence would rally the fighters better than any other presence.

If we just walk out now there is the risk that the conflict will spill over, or that the jihad fighters will take their battles to Saudi Arabia and other places (that has always been a HUGE worry). If oil prices seen high now they would surely be MUCH MUCH worse if Saudi Arabia and some other oil producing countries were hit.

We are stuck, if we pull out suddenly things (i.e. oil prices and supply lines) could get much worse in a hurry.

(Fyi i was always against the iraq war...it was so obviously a huge mistake..history has repeated itself).

[edit on 23-7-2008 by Sonya610]

reply to post by Double Eights


I think Iran is the only thing that makes Iraq makes sense

not make it right - just explains it

So,

We leave and oil prices rise.
We stay and soldiers die.

I'll take higher gas prices.

I'm also not seeing how oil prices will rise, considering we get....zero....oil from Iraq. And if you weren't aware, the Iraqi's weren't taking over the Middle East prior to our invasion, in fact, they aren't trying to take over the middle east now. The majority of those we are killing in Iraq are Iraqi citizens who are fighting against a foreign entity occupying their homeland.

Ya know, kinda like Americans would do if Russia or China decided to invade and occupy America.

The genocide in Vietnam should give you a good hint.

If we pull out all at once now, the slaughter would be of epic proportions. No matter what people like Obama say to get elected, they or he would not actually pull out early either. Imagine going down in history as the monster who pulled the troops out and let thousands or maybe millions die needlessly to satisfy some voters who don't care whether the Iraqi's live or die.

If we pulled out tomorrow, Iran would be in before the dust settled and the slaughter would start. They would not be wearing Iranian uniforms, but their pay would come from Imadinnerjacket all the same. The hundreds of thousands Saddam slaughtered would pale in comparison. The Sunni's and Shia's want each other dead. The Turks would probably attack the Kurds in the north as well.

Since there are nothing but volunteers there, why do some want to pull out precipitously and cause all that death anyway?

It is NOT our responsbility to ensure the Iraqi people survive.

It is NOT our responsibility to give them government, a government which does NOT work. (Democracy is a sham of a government)

Our invasion and occupation breeds hatred towards America, so the longer we stay, the more we open ourselves to further acts like 9/11 (even though I believe our own government was complicit in said attacks).


If we pull out, and a civil war ensues, so be it. If the Iraqi people want to survive, they will survive with our without the help of the United States. The only two forces on Earth who want to be in Iraq are the United States and United Kingdom governments.

And those who want us there sure as # do not give a damn about the Iraqi people. They are there for their own personal gain.

Originally posted by Double EightsI'm also not seeing how oil prices will rise, considering we get....zero....oil from Iraq.

Everytime there is a terrorist incident in Saudi the prices jump immediately. Sure most of the fighters in Iraq are in fact Iraqi, but they have had foreign fighters coming in as well, those fighters eventually go home, and the worry is they will be ready to fight their own corrupt governments.

The fear of trained fighters going back to their countries, or taking up causes in other countries is a big worry.

Plus there will be a big power struggle regarding who gets to rule Iraq. Since they are majority Shi'ite there is a good chance if the US did not try to install their own puppet regime the leaders will be Shi'ite.

The US went in there hoping to be able to install permanent bases as well as secure cheap oil from an ally. The way things are going now, left to their own devices there will be war for quite some time and chances are they will be run by the Shi'ite majority eventually, which would make them an ally of Iran and Syria and the US would really really hate that.



[edit on 23-7-2008 by Sonya610]

Another thing, do NOT give me any "all the iraqi's will die! How can you live with yourself if you support allowing them all to die!" excuses.

1. We don't know all of them will die.

2. Where were we during Rwanda? Darfur?

[edit on 23-7-2008 by Double Eights]

Originally posted by Double Eights
1. We don't know all of them will die.
2. Where were we during Rwanda? Darfur?
[edit on 23-7-2008 by Double Eights]

HUGE HUGE difference. We didn't start the war in Rwanda or Darfur. We are directly responsible for the war and the resulting deaths in Iraq.

www.worldpublicopinion.org...

It doesn't matter if we are responsible...the Iraqi people want us out and so does the Iraqi government. That right there clears us of any "moral" responsibility.

Oh, heaven forbid the fighting trickles over to Saudi Arabia..

In July 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia

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