Was the war in Iraq Justified?

[Rainbow Mage]

Was it even necessary?

 

[Storm]

No, I don't believe it ever was.

 

[tumbleweed41]

No

Troops in Iraq - Total 98,000 U.S. troops as of February 28, 2010. All other nations have withdrawn their troops.
U.S. Troop Casualties - 4,390 US troops; 98% male. 91% non-officers; 82% active duty, 11% National Guard; 74% Caucasian, 9% African-American, 11% Latino. 19% killed by non-hostile causes. 54% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 72% were from the US Army
Non-U.S. Troop Casualties - Total 316, with 179 from the UK
US Troops Wounded - 31,762, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries. (Total excludes psychological injuries.)
US Troops with Serious Mental Health Problems - 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home


Journalists killed - 140, 93 by murder and 47 by acts of war
Journalists killed by US Forces - 14
Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed - 9,431
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated - A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualties have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.
Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000
Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 569
Non-Iraqi Kidnapped - 306, including 57 killed, 147 released, 4 escaped, 6 rescued and 89 status unknown.
Daily Insurgent Attacks, Feb 2004 - 14
Daily Insurgent Attacks, July 2005 - 70
Daily Insurgent Attacks, May 2007 - 163
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Nov 2003 - 15,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Oct 2006 - 20,000 - 30,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, June 2007 - 70,000

 

[Rainbow Mage]

See I agree, I don't think it was justified. The Bush admin basically lied to the people about WMD's, and then changed their story and said it was about Iraqi Freedom. The country was more united when Saddam ruled, and we may not like how they do things in the ME, but that is their culture. Who are we to try to change their culture, when most of them don't want it changed?

 

[Peacewise]

No

Troops in Iraq - Total 98,000 U.S. troops as of February 28, 2010. All other nations have withdrawn their troops.
U.S. Troop Casualties - 4,390 US troops; 98% male. 91% non-officers; 82% active duty, 11% National Guard; 74% Caucasian, 9% African-American, 11% Latino. 19% killed by non-hostile causes. 54% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 72% were from the US Army
Non-U.S. Troop Casualties - Total 316, with 179 from the UK
US Troops Wounded - 31,762, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries. (Total excludes psychological injuries.)
US Troops with Serious Mental Health Problems - 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home


Journalists killed - 140, 93 by murder and 47 by acts of war
Journalists killed by US Forces - 14
Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed - 9,431
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated - A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualties have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.
Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000
Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 569
Non-Iraqi Kidnapped - 306, including 57 killed, 147 released, 4 escaped, 6 rescued and 89 status unknown.
Daily Insurgent Attacks, Feb 2004 - 14
Daily Insurgent Attacks, July 2005 - 70
Daily Insurgent Attacks, May 2007 - 163
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Nov 2003 - 15,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Oct 2006 - 20,000 - 30,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, June 2007 - 70,000

A compelling set of statistics tumbleweed41, what is your source please?

I note that whilst there is mention of the psychological harm done to american soldiers, yet I wonder what is the psychological harm done to the Iraq population, 50K-600K dead, that is a lot of Iraq families really hurting.

The escalation in the insurgency strength is a useful indication of the equation; violence in => violence out.

I expect to see more strikes on American soil in the long term, and more money wasted (not)-fixing a problem that was caused and reinforced by having a violent mindset.

 

[*Anne*]

Put me down for "No" as well.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Wonder if we could make this into a poll?

 

[Sunstone]

Complete waste.

 

[sandandfoam]

Nope.

 

[tumbleweed41]

A compelling set of statistics tumbleweed41, what is your source please?

I note that whilst there is mention of the psychological harm done to american soldiers, yet I wonder what is the psychological harm done to the Iraq population, 50K-600K dead, that is a lot of Iraq families really hurting.

The escalation in the insurgency strength is a useful indication of the equation; violence in => violence out.

I expect to see more strikes on American soil in the long term, and more money wasted (not)-fixing a problem that was caused and reinforced by having a violent mindset.

Iraq War Facts, Results & Statistics at March 29, 2010
By Deborah White, About.com Guide
Sources, The Brookings Institution's Iraq Index, Congressional Research Service, ABC News, CBS News

QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATORS IN IRAQ
Iraqis Displaced Inside Iraq, by Iraq War, as of May 2007 - 2,255,000
Iraqi Refugees in Syria & Jordan - 2.1 million to 2.25 million
Iraqi Unemployment Rate - 27 to 60%, where curfew not in effect
Consumer Price Inflation in 2006 - 50%
Iraqi Children Suffering from Chronic Malnutrition - 28% in June 2007 (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Percent of professionals who have left Iraq since 2003 - 40%
Iraqi Physicians Before 2003 Invasion - 34,000
Iraqi Physicians Who Have Left Iraq Since 2005 Invasion - 12,000
Iraqi Physicians Murdered Since 2003 Invasion - 2,000
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 1 to 2 hours, per Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (Per Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2007)
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 10.9 in May 2007
Average Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 5.6 in May 2007
Pre-War Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 16 to 24
Number of Iraqi Homes Connected to Sewer Systems - 37%
Iraqis without access to adequate water supplies - 70% (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitated - 22%

 

[kai]

lots of facts and figures there that have nothing to do with whether the war was justified that all happened after the war was started to determine whether the war was justified you have go further back to the lead up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/737483.stm

 

[Valjean]

Doesn't pre-emptive war violate UN provisions which, as signatory, the US is bound by?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Doesn't pre-emptive war violate UN provisions which, as signatory, the US is bound by?

Yes it does, and the secret CIA prisons violate the Geneva Conventions, which the US also claims to be bound by.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Huge waste of lives and resources with no discernible benefit whatsoever.

 

[Father Heathen]

No, the war was not justified.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

lots of facts and figures there that have nothing to do with whether the war was justified that all happened after the war was started to determine whether the war was justified you have go further back to the lead up.

BBC News - Iraq timeline

Your timeline is good but it leaves out a few very important events:

-Ronald Reagan's support of Saddam Husseins gassing of the kurds by lying. He told the world Iranians did it to give the Iraq cover on their War with Iran.

- The meeting when Saddam Hussein tells the US Ambassador of his plains to invade Kuwait and the US Ambassador tells him we will stay out of it. So the US gave our man Saddam Hussein permission to roll into Kuwait.

-The UN Weapons inspectors get caught red handed with spy equipment that lead up to them getting kicked out of the country.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

No. In the end, American lives were needlessly lost, and Iraq was thrown in civil war. Makes me wonder if Iraq would have been better off if Sadam was still in power. At least the gays were being hunted like rabbi-infested dogs then.

 

[Nepenthe]

Sure the war in Iraq was justified- how else was the Bush regime supposed to support their propoganda that Saddam had WMDs and was responsible for 9/11(which up to 70% of Americans believed as late as 2003).
What else was Bush supposed to do after planning the invasion of Iraq within two months after the 9/11 attacks? Wait for evidence of WMDs or pursue a diplomatic solution? Please!
How else was Rumsfeld supposed to make a substantial profit besides war profiteering? Work at a fast food restaurant?
How else could Bush justify billions in a slush fund for Rumsfeld? He needs to eat like everyone else!

If what you want is international condemnation, if what you are looking for is over $718,000,000,000 to date wasted in Iraq alone, if over 100,000 civilian deaths is justifiable then yeah, it's justified.

 

[Just_me_Mike]

Only in a world without morality in a universal or absolute sense, would this war be justified.
If your world view includes morals than it can't be justified.

Morals are a funny thing, to many they are just as unreal as God is to Atheist.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Was it even necessary?

American dependence on foreign oil dictates instability in the Middle East.

A weaker opponent is easier to rape [Africa].