There seems to be a connection between human rights/civil rights abuses and the countries we go to war with. Probably in part because a government that doesn’t respect its people probably is going to flaunt international law too.
Here is info from Freedom House about the worlds most oppressive countries in 1999.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=75
Thirteen countries receive Freedom House’s lowest rating for political rights and civil liberties. Three remain under the domination of Communist parties: Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. Other countries in the “worst of the worst” category are Afghanistan, Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Turkmenistan. Chechnya and Tibet (under the oppressive control of China) are the world’s least free territories.
Of those 13 countries, we had already gone to war (or at least had military conflict) with 6 of them. Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Somalia.
In the years since, we have gone to war with Afghanistan and Iraq (again).
Saudi Arabia is where the 9/11 hijackers came from. But they own too much of our economy, so we couldn’t go to war.
Where will our next war be? I would assume it would also have to be a war for natural resources and to maintain realpolitik power. My guess is Equatorial Guinea. They are an oppressive dictatorship and they have about 2 billion barrels of oil under their land.
That or Sudan. Tons of natural resources, oppressive dictatorship, unstable region.