Why did we really invade Iraq?

[iceman5]

[DoctorHandles]

[Johnny Hughes]

[NorthView]

[Irexes]

There are many people in the US whose business is war.

The US has defined itself by its enemies for half a century, "we are good because we fight evil".

After the collapse of communism there was a military-industrial complex that no longer had a purpose and a nation that was eager to demonstrate it was the greatest on the planet.

Along come some terrorists and a genuine reason for war in Afghanistan and the machine comes back to life. The nation (and pretty much the whole world) is behind the US. Once reawoken and with momentum Afghanistan was never going to be the end of it. The dictator who got away was at this point the obvious next target.

The war-machine gets its war, the arms manufacturers get their money. Everyone wins. Except those who get killed.

[iceman5]

Im not trying to justify it. Im just saying I think its a major factor in why we invaded. Right or wrong.

[Irexes]

I agree that establishing a presence in the middle east in a country that had effectively been conquered was also a big incentive. There was also some isguided belief in a domino effect resulting in the collapse of other middle eastern states.

[Molina]

[Pozzo]

[Felonius_Monk]

[Nortonesque]

[iceman5]

[emmasdad]

[Nortonesque]

[iceman5]