We went to war in Iraq because the worldwide balance of power had shifted during the Clintoon years away from U.S. interests. To address power vacuums that resulted from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Bush I administration attempted to guide the international community into responsible cooperation, guided by U.S. military and economic power and principles
But the Clintoons instead delegated the responsibility and the power the United Nations, which, of course, was entirely incapable of wielding either.
As a result, post-Cold War power vacuums began to be filled by regional thugs, Al Queda types, and their enablers, such as the Tabliban and the UN. The Bush/Powell showdown at 42nd St prior to the Iraqi invasion was an attempt to force responsibility upon the UN. Sadly, that body proved incapable of reality, and rejected the offer. So, off we went to Iraq without the “international community,” but fully on its behalf.
The world is far, far better off for the invasion of Iraq. Without it, we’d have untenable holds on Afghanistan and those few Persian Gulf bases from which we would be unable to project or wield any real power. As much as the Iraq war has enabled Syria and Iran to counter the U.S. presence, that presence has acheieved just that: they now have incredible resistence that was otherwise absent.
This is not a chess game. It’s fixing serious, serious leadership errors during the 1990s.
Great post.