How did America benefit from Iraq and Afghanistan?

[Spiderman]

I'd say it was overall the best thing for Afghanistan's civil war, that the Northern Alliance (America's ally) won victory. The government that we tried to establish there was more civilized than the Taliban and didn't make women cover their face. Not that it is a government that will last, but still had better policies and more freedom.

I guess the good thing that happened in Iraq was we overthrew a mass-murdering Sunni Dictator and replaced him with a less severe Shia government. Not that it is going to last either without America there to police the place.

Supposedly we benefited from the oil. Can you give me any figures of how much America benefited from this resource or these two conflicts?

Overall we didn't benefit from either. But I'm sure you can find some exceptions to that rule, no?

 

[Jumi]

When you think Americans benefit something, it's mostly those who sell services that support the military operation. An average taxpayer probably won't see a benefit, or see that perhaps he's the one paying for the war.

Drug production in Afghanistan is now through the roof, where Taliban tried to control it when they were in power.

In July 2000, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, collaborating with the United Nations to eradicate heroin production in Afghanistan, declared that growing poppies was un-Islamic, resulting in one of the world's most successful anti-drug campaigns. The Taliban enforced a ban on poppy farming via threats, forced eradication, and public punishment of transgressors. The result was a 99% reduction in the area of opium poppy farming in Taliban-controlled areas, roughly three quarters of the world's supply of heroin at the time.[17] The ban was effective only briefly due to the deposition of the Taliban in 2002.

So now Americans and other people are killing themselves with the crops:

Last year’s record opium production in Afghanistan threatens sustainable development, latest survey reveals

Today's Taliban gets money for it's fight by taxing that heroin.

 

[Stevicus]

I'd say it was overall the best thing for Afghanistan's civil war, that the Northern Alliance (America's ally) won victory. The government that we tried to establish there was more civilized than the Taliban and didn't make women cover their face. Not that it is a government that will last, but still had better policies and more freedom.

I guess the good thing that happened in Iraq was we overthrew a mass-murdering Sunni Dictator and replaced him with a less severe Shia government. Not that it is going to last either without America there to police the place.

Supposedly we benefited from the oil. Can you give me any figures of how much America benefited from this resource or these two conflicts?

Overall we didn't benefit from either. But I'm sure you can find some exceptions to that rule, no?

There wasn't really that much benefit to America directly. At least when listening to the political rhetoric and the pretexts for war, the usual excuse is that we're doing it for our allies solely out of the goodness of our hearts.

The last time we fought a war solely for America's benefit was the Spanish-American War in 1898.

In the World Wars, the common story going around was that we saved the Europeans from themselves (or their colonies in Asia, in the case of the Japanese). That may not be strictly true from an objective historical perspective, but it sure does make us look like white knights going around and saving the world, defending freedom and democracy and saving all the good people in the world from evil. It's never for America's benefit, as we're at heart a generous and selfless country which only wants to spread freedom and goodness around the world.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Overall we didn't benefit from either. But I'm sure you can find some exceptions to that rule, no?

Our entry into Afghanistan began as part of the 'Cold War'. If you get a chance watch the film Charlie Wilson's War starring Tom Hanks which roughly explains how we ever became interested in that country. It was because we thought the Soviets were going to take over that country (and they were trying and slaughtering people with helicopters). We supplied lots of weapons to the Taliban at that time. Thus was our foot in the door, and then partly to make sure the Soviets didn't try again we stayed involved. The Taliban began to hate our involvement, and it also began to challenge the government in that country. The CIA and US congress did not feel that was Ok nor the vile way the Taliban behaved towards women and education. It was ruining the country in our government's opinion. Later on it became associated with terrorist organizations, and those organizations became involved in plots against US citizens. There is therefore now a very strong connection between the USA and Afghanistan. Additionally Afghanistan farmers began to grow lots of heroine, and things got more complicated. Heroine can be used to buy weapons you see.

Our involvement in Iraq is much more questionable. The main reason for our involvement was that the world kept expecting us to fix things, and our leaders got it into their heads that they were messiahs. That being the case it was easy for oil to manipulate them into going where even angels feared to tread. The reasons for our involvement in Libya were similar -- messiah complex, world banging drums egged us on and we caved. As you can see the other two superpowers did not really get involved. Nobody expected it of them, and they did not see any positive outcome.

Advantages:

Afghanistan -- The advantage was the end of the Cold War. Really. Then the advantage tapered off and became a detriment later. Now its an obligation that everybody is uncomfortable with on all sides.

Iraq: Saddam stopped haranguing USA, threatening Kuwait and annoying Iran. Some other positives happened that were not strictly advantages for ourselves. Again, we now have an obligation that we do not want.

 

[Revoltingest]

Benefit?
None.

 

[Sunstone]

Study Halliburton's financial performance before and after the war starts.