Money well spent why? Name one vital national interest that necessitated the Iraq War.
1. Saddam Hussian's continued threat to the vital energy resources of the Persian Gulf region, particularly in Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia.
What were those threats specifically and why would they threaten the vital interests of the US?
Are you implying that we are so dependent on Middle East oil for our national security that we must start wars to protect that oil,
like we did in 1991?
The United States did not start the war in 1991. Saddam started it by invading and annexing Kuwait. The Planet has been dependent on Persian Gulf Oil supply to support the growing global economy for decades. It was President Franklin Roosevelt who first declared in 1943 that it was in the national security interest of the United States to defend Saudi Arabia. Every President since that time has agreed. So much of the worlds natural gas and oil is located in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia that the loss of that oil from the market would cause a global economic depression.
The world is more dependent on Persian Gulf oil now than it was in 1991 thanks to rising demand in the third world as countries like India, China and all of Africa develop and grow larger populations. In 1991, Saudi Arabia had the ability to make up for a sudden loss of production from say a country like Kuwait. Thats why Saudi Arabia was the worlds only swing producer. Today Saudi Arabia does not have that ability anymore as the level of demand vs current supply is smaller meaning Saudia Arabia no longer as the ability to make up the difference quickly if there is a loss of production somewhere, which increases the likely hood of huge price shocks if production in certain area's is shut down for some reason.
What were those threats specifically and why would they threaten the vital interests of the US?
The United States like the rest of the world is impacted heavily by the price of energy. Saddam's potential seizure or sabotage of Persian Gulf oil supply could cause a global economic depression that would be extremely damaging to the United States, its Allies, as well as the rest of the world. Saddam's Iraq is in close proximity to much of the worlds supply of oil and natural gas which means he only needs minimal military capability to threaten it.
Here is a more detailed explanation of all the problems that Saddam posed for the United States in the Persian Gulf area. It explains how the failure of the containment policy meant that regime removal became an absolute necessity given Saddam's past actions, crimes, and survivability.
1. Saddam Hussian's continued threat to the vital energy resources of the Persian Gulf region, particularly in Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia.
2. The errosion of the key measures of containment on Saddam Hussian, sanctions and the
weapons embargo.
3. The fact that starting in the year 2000, Saddam was getting away with selling Billions of dollars worth of oil on the black market.
4. The fact that Russia, China and France were all violating UN Security Council resolutions meant to contain Saddam. China specifically by providing fiber optic communications for Saddam's military as well as improving Saddam's air defense capabilities which meant a greater liklely hood of coalition aircraft being shot down in the no fly zones. Russia and France both restarted commercial flights to Iraq, again in violation of sanctions.
5. Syria completely disbanded all sanctions on its border with Iraq by 2001 allowing anything to pass through. Even Turkey was becoming lax in its enforcement thanks to bribes from Saddam and his growing oil wealth.
6. This erosion of sanctions and the weapons embargo meant that containment was no longer possible. Without containment, the only option was regime change.
7. Saddam still posed a threat to the large oil fields of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. This threat would only grow with time now that the sanctions and weapons embargo were crumbling.
8. Saddam's military before he was removed was one of the largest in the middle east. Saddam had over 400,000 people in the armed forces, 2,700 tanks, over 300 combat aircraft, over 2,000 artillery pieces, over 2,000 armored personal carriers. Large stocks of various types of ammunition, rockets, artillery shells, shells for tanks, bombs, cluster bombs, mines, missiles. Total ammunition stocks after Saddam was removed were determined to be larger than any other country in the world except Russia and the United States.
9. The fact that Saddam did maintain the ability to produce Chemical Weapons and Biological Weapons in violation of the 1991 UN Ceacefire agreement.
10. The fact that Saddam failed to pay Kuwait and locate
THOUSANDS of missing Kuwaiti's from his illegal invasion, occupation, and then annexation of Kuwait in 1990.
11. The fact that Saddam is the only leader since Adolf Hitler to invade and annex another country.
12. The fact that Saddam used WMD not just on his own people but upon foreign troops and upon civilians and soldiers in a foreign country.
13. The fact that Saddam was in violation of 15 UN Security Council Resolutions passed under Chapter VII rules of the United Nations which allow for the use of military force to bring about compliance.
14. The fact that Saddam was in violation of the 1991 Gulf War Ceace Fire Agreement.
15. The fact that Saddam had succeeded in surviving and staying in power despite all attempts to remove Saddam short of launching a full scale invasion. The United States bombed Iraq every year from 1991 through 2003. There were even record uses of Cruise Missiles and records for tons of bombs dropped in a matter of days, like operation Desert Fox in 1998.
16. Given all the above, it was absolutely necessary to remove Saddam from power in 2003.
But hey, don't just take my word for it, listen to Democratic President Bill Clinton on Saddam:
President Bill Clinton - December 16, 1998
"the hard fact is, that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well being of his people, the peace of his region, the security of the world. The best way to end that threat, once and for all, is with a new Iraqi government. A government ready to live in peace with its neighbors. A government that respects the rights of its people."
"other countries posses weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, with Saddam there is one big difference, he has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade long war, not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing scud missiles against the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Barain, and Iran. Not only against foreign enemies, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq. I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam will use these terrible weapons again"
"Heavy as they are, the cost of action must be weighed against the price of inaction. If Saddam defies the world, and we fail to respond, we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will strike again at his neighbors, he will make war on his own people, and mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them"
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENAV_UoIfgc]President Clinton orders attack on Iraq - YouTube[/ame]
