There are thousands of dead Americans because of the invasion of Iraq. What did they die for? Prior to the invasion, Iraq was the arch-enemy of Iran. After the invasion, Shias took control of Iraq, and Iraq became Iran’s closest ally in the whole world.
Before the invasion, Saddam ruled over a secular government. After the invasion, Iraq adopted a constitution that begins with saying the Koran is the fount of all law.
Before the invasion, Saddam had his boot on the necks of the jihadists. After the invasion, that boot was removed, and a civil war between shias and sunnis has been raging ever since.
Before the invasion, Christians worshipped safely in Iraq. After the invasion, it’s been a continuous war on Christianity, and the religion has almost been wiped from the country.
You say all this was worth 4500 AMerican lives - and more than a trillion dollars in additional American debt (most of it borrowed from China)?
“What did they die for? “
Easy. They died because Republicans didn’t have the guts to fight a war and let Democrats run it by committee.
Does Rick Perry want our troops back in Iraq?
It is callous to say the number of deaths was insignificant, but in comparison to say the invasion of one of the Pacific Islands, that is true. Deaths as a measure of success or failure is not really meaningful.
Both wars were successful in that the enemy was eliminated.
What has happened since is the result of internal conflict prety much submerged by the eliminated enemy. Since the process is ongoing, it is not meaningful to analyze the current stage as failure.
The analysis also fails to recognize that the primary enemy to America and the region is Iran. Iran is being contained. The events in the Tigress Euphrates vlley are not good for Iran.