# So, What was the point to the US invading Iraq? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 13, 2014, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698 "2014-06-13T13:20:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/1 "2014-06-13T13:20:28Z")
I see that Baghdad is now about to fall into the hands of the Islamists and I want to ask the question … What was the point to the US invading Iraq and setting itself up as an authority for so long? I must admit that I am not very knowledgeable about the US invasion or midEast politics. But it seems to me that USA invaded Iraq and spent millions or billions to secure the country and made promises or at least statements that the people of Iraq would be much better off now than they were under Saddam. So, what happened? I would really appreciate if someone who is knowledgeable could post a brief overview of just what was the point, how much did it cost and … is it now all lost? Was the invasion and all the money spent and American lives lost all in vain? … all for nothing? I’m no fan of Obama and would love to blame this mess on him. But I guess I can’t really do that since he wasn’t President when it was decided to invade Iraq. But … am I correct in that this is a real big mess and a huge waste of American lives and money? If so, who is to blame? Does it go back to Bush? Or does it go back even further? If you were a citizen of a European country, how would the USA come off looking to you today? Somehow, I don’t think the USA would look too good today to many citizens of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/2 "2014-06-13T13:26:22Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Was the invasion and all the money spent and American lives lost all in vain? … all for nothing? > > …snip… > But … am I correct in that this is a real big mess and a huge waste of American lives and money? Yeah, I think this pretty much sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/3 "2014-06-13T13:39:42Z")
I, for one, am very worried about all those WMDs… ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/4 "2014-06-13T13:47:39Z")
The point was to enrich Halliburton, Aegis, and dozens of other oil concerns and defense contractors who were up Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rove’s butts (and pockets). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/5 "2014-06-13T13:55:52Z")
Really? You really want to dredge all this up again? There were countless threads over the last 10+ years about Bush, Iran, et al, which settled nothing. And it was in all the newspapers; perhaps you missed all that? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/6 "2014-06-13T13:59:50Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Really? You really want to dredge all this up again? There were countless threads over the last 10+ years about Bush, Iran, et al, which settled nothing. And it was in all the newspapers; perhaps you missed all that? Besides, Saddam tried to kill his Dad! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ralfy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ralfy/32/600_2.png) [@ralfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralfy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/7 "2014-06-13T14:02:23Z")
Likely, it was meant to keep the petro-dollar propped up. Similar reasons might be seen for intervening in Libya and challenging Iran. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/8 "2014-06-13T14:33:43Z")
The Neocons truly thought they could transform the region into something akin to the transformation of Eastern Europe after the fall of communism. Rice said as much in an article in Foreign Affairs before Bush was elected, but she noted that the US public would only support an intervention after a ‘Pearl Harbor type event’ her term. Then 9/11 and they thought they had a mandate. They were spectacularly incompetent (I was there for a lot of it) and the people who supported the war were spectacularly stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/9 "2014-06-13T14:42:55Z")
> [@](#): > > But it seems to me that USA invaded Iraq and spent millions or billions to secure the country and made promises or at least statements that the people of Iraq would be much better off now than they were under Saddam. You cannot help people who won’t help themselves. Iraqis don’t seem to want a democratic, prosperous Iraq. I think there still may be hope for an independent, somewhat democratic, prosperous Kurdistan. The other two-thirds will just continue to be another Middle Eastern hellhole. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/10 "2014-06-13T15:03:02Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > You cannot help people who won’t help themselves. Iraqis don’t seem to want a democratic, prosperous Iraq. They may not want people to choose their religion and government. Perhaps they want their particular religion and party to be the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/11 "2014-06-13T15:22:57Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > The point was to enrich Halliburton, Aegis, and dozens of other oil concerns and defense contractors who were up Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rove’s butts (and pockets). Or, more generally, the goal was the short-term benefit of certain individual Americans and sectors of the American economy, which was achieved. America has no interest in the Iraqi people. There is an interest in the long-term stability of the region, but it is not at all clear to me that this interest was seriously considered. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/12 "2014-06-13T15:31:05Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > But it seems to me that USA invaded Iraq and spent millions or billions to secure the country and made promises or at least statements that the people of Iraq would be much better off now than they were under Saddam. Millions? Billions? Try _trillions_. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/13 "2014-06-13T16:08:42Z")
Why did it take you 12 years to think of asking this question? Oh, wait: How old were you 12 years ago? Another question: Why did the news media report that something was going on 24 hours before a 30,000 man army laid down their weapons when confronted by a few hundred rebels? Didn’t anybody on the ground see that coming? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/14 "2014-06-13T16:31:46Z")
Actually there should be much more accurate answers to this question now than several years ago–since various participants have published their memoirs, a lot of information was leaked by Bradley Manning, and academics have published untold books and articles. So could someone summarize these? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/15 "2014-06-13T16:37:24Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Actually there should be much more accurate answers to this question now than several years ago–since various participants have published their memoirs, a lot of information was leaked by Bradley Manning, and academics have published untold books and articles. **So could someone summarize these?** We fucked up royally. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/16 "2014-06-13T17:21:27Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > We fucked up royally. Thread over. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/17 "2014-06-13T18:31:28Z")
All I can say is that I hope that our embassy in Baghdad has a good heliport on the roof. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/18 "2014-06-13T19:03:54Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > We fucked up royally. If the plan was to get rid of Saddam Hussein and make a boatload of money for Haliburton, we succeeded. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/19 "2014-06-13T19:11:23Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > All I can say is that I hope that our embassy in Baghdad has a good heliport on the roof. It’ll make a nice house for the new dictator. I’m one of the people who predicted this very scenario. You can’t train people whose natural instinct is to run from danger, to stand and fight. For the Middle East, it’s been shown time and time again through history that they don’t have the stomach for battle unless there is little or no resistance. The Israelis proved that beyond a doubt when they defeated three armies in six days in 1967. We never learn a damn thing from history. As for the OP wanting to “blame Obama for this mess”, I can only say :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: and wish that this was in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698/20 "2014-06-13T19:21:34Z")
As I recall, most of the Middle Eastern countries were drawn up by British officials when they were dissolving the Ottoman empire. So the various peoples there don’t really have a strong national identity; the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish people are pulling in different directions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-point-to-the-us-invading-iraq/690698.md?page=2)