Difference between revisions of "US-Iraq/war/invasion"

Latest revision as of 22:45, 19 March 2014

the President
he's got his war
folks don't know
just what it's for
no one gives us
rhyme or reason
you have one doubt
they call it treason
- Roberta Flack, 1969
"Compared to What"

About

This page is about the 2003 United States-led invasion of Iraq ordered by George W. Bush and beginning on 2003-03-20, which officially started the US-Iraq War; the invasion phase officially ended on 2003-05-01 with the toppling of Saddam Hussein's government, Iraqi infrastructure in US hands and with Bush's arrival on the USS Abraham Lincoln and the infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner. The US has continued to occupy Iraq despite mounting costs in both dollars and lives and despite growing opposition both within the US and internationally.

Conclusions

The invasion was sold to the citizens of the United States on false pretenses led to the US occupation of Iraq, which has become both a logistical and political quagmire of unprecedented expense.

The one positive effect was to get rid of Saddam, but it should be noted that his rise to power was originally supported by the US. It's fair enough to say "when Saddam went the wrong way, we took him down again -- we keep our house clean", but then why did we stand by and allow him to be executed? Why did we stop short of continuing on to Baghdad during the original Gulf War in 1993, when the citizens there rose up against Saddam at our request and trusting in our promise to keep them safe? It would seem, in the absence of satisfactory answers to these questions, that the US's behavior with respect to Iraq has been substantially less than honorable.

Events

2002-10-16 Iraq Resolution: the official "declaration of war" required before military force can be used

Related Pages

The invasion and occupation of Iraq are part of the Bush administration's "war on terror".
US justifications for invading Iraq
Balkans vs. Iraq: a day-and-night comparison of the two interventions

Links

Reference

to file

2005-07-18 Report: invasion of Iraq provided boost for Al-Qaeda
2003-03-31 President Updates America on Operations Liberty Shield and Iraqi Freedom: Remarks by the President at the Port of Philadelphia
2003-03-29 President Discusses Iraqi Freedom Progress in Radio Address: Radio Address by the President to the Nation
2003-03-23 President Discusses Military Operation: Remarks by the President in Press Availability Upon Return From Camp David
2003-03-22 President Discusses Beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom: President's Radio Address
2003-03-19 U.S. President George W. Bush has announced that war against Iraq has begun.
2003-03-08 War on Terror: President's Radio Address

News

2009/04/02 [L..T] Fake Faith and Epic Crimes «Spain's celebrated Judge Baltasar Garzon, who indicted Pinochet and the leaders of the Argentinian military junta, has called for George W. Bush, Blair and former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar to be prosecuted for the invasion of Iraq – "one of the most sordid and unjustifiable episodes in recent human history: a devastating attack on the rule of law" that had left the UN "in tatters." He said, "There is enough of an argument in 650,000 deaths for this investigation to start without delay."»

Trivia

"Drat Saddam, a mad dastard!" is a palindrome.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{| align=right style="background: #ffeedd; font-size: smaller;"
+<hide>
+[[page type::article]]
+[[thing type::event]]
+[[thing type::invasion]]
+[[start date::2003-03-20]]
+[[stop date::2003-05-01]]
+[[title::US invasion of Iraq]]
+</hide>
+{| style="float: right;"
 |-
 |
-the President<br>
+{{nav/US-Iraq}}
+<br clear=both />
+{| style="background: #ffeedd; float: right; font-size: smaller; border: solid 1px red;"
+|-
+|
+<i>the President<br>
 he's got his war<br>
 folks don't know<br>
@@ Line 9: / Line 22: @@
 rhyme or reason<br>
 you have one doubt<br>
-they call it treason<br>
+they call it treason</i><br>
 - Roberta Flack, 1969<br>
 "Compared to What"
 |}
-==Overview==
+|}
-This page is about the '''{{USA}} invasion of [[Iraq]]''', which took place during [[George W. Bush]]'s [[2000-2007 US Presidential Administration|presidential administration]].
+==About==
+This page is about the 2003 '''{{USA}}-led invasion of [[Iraq]]''' ordered by [[George W. Bush]] and beginning on {{date|2003-03-20}}, which officially started the [[US-Iraq War]]; the invasion phase officially ended on {{date|2003-05-01}} with the toppling of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s government, Iraqi infrastructure in US hands and with Bush's arrival on the USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' and the infamous "[[George W. Bush/mission accomplished|Mission Accomplished]]" banner. The US has continued to [[US occupation of Iraq|occupy]] Iraq despite mounting costs in both dollars and lives and despite growing opposition both within the US and internationally.
+===Conclusions===
+The invasion was sold to the citizens of the {{USA}} on [[US justifications for invading Iraq|false pretenses]] led to the [[US occupation of Iraq]], which has become both a logistical and political quagmire of unprecedented expense.
-The invasion got rid of Saddam (which very much needed to happen) but has resulted in a very expensive quagmire and greatly harmed the {{USA}}:
+The one positive effect was to get rid of [[Saddam Hussein|Saddam]], but it should be noted that his rise to power was originally supported by the US. It's fair enough to say "when Saddam went the wrong way, we took him down again -- we keep our house clean", but then why did we stand by and allow him to be executed? Why did we stop short of continuing on to Baghdad during the original [[Gulf War]] in 1993, when the citizens there rose up against Saddam at our request and trusting in our promise to keep them safe? It would seem, in the absence of satisfactory answers to these questions, that the US's behavior with respect to Iraq has been substantially less than [[honor]]able.
-* [[US military readiness]] has plummeted to dangerous levels
-* the [[US economy]] has been dangerously weakened
-* global opinion of America has suffered greatly
-''There should probably be a separate article about the [[US occupation of Iraq]].''
+==Events==
+* '''2002-10-16''' [[wikipedia:Iraq Resolution|Iraq Resolution]]: the official "declaration of war" required before military force can be used
-'''Nicknames''': Messopotamia, The Iraqi Horror Picture Show (although this latter might better describe the [[Abu Ghraib abuses]] or the use of [[torture during GWB administration]] in general)
+==Related Pages==
+* The [[US invasion of Iraq|invasion]] and [[US occupation of Iraq|occupation]] of [[Iraq]] are part of the [[43rd US Presidential administration|Bush administration]]'s "[[war on terror]]".
-==Reference==
+* [[US justifications for invading Iraq]]
+* [[Balkans vs. Iraq]]: a day-and-night comparison of the two interventions
+==Links==
+===Reference===
 * Wikipedia:
 ** [[wikipedia:2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 invasion of Iraq]]
 ** [[wikipedia:Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq|Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq]]
-** Events:
+* [http://www.indybay.org/antiwar/ Anti-War and Militarism News]
-*** '''2002-10-16''' [[wikipedia:Iraq Resolution|Iraq Resolution]]: the official "declaration of war" required before military force can be used
+===to file===
-*** '''2006-12-06''' report released by the [[wikipedia:Iraq Study Group|Iraq Study Group]]
+* '''2005-07-18''' [[wikinews:Report: invasion of Iraq provided boost for Al-Qaeda|Report: invasion of Iraq provided boost for Al-Qaeda]]
-* [http://dir.salon.com/topics/iraq/ Iraq editorials at Salon.com]
+* '''2003-03-31''' [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030331-4.html President Updates America on Operations Liberty Shield and Iraqi Freedom]: Remarks by the President at the Port of Philadelphia
-* [http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ AfterDowningStreet.org]: "nonpartisan coalition ...[working]... to pressure both Congress and the media to investigate whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war"
+* '''2003-03-29''' [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030329.html President Discusses Iraqi Freedom Progress in Radio Address]: Radio Address by the President to the Nation
-* '''Fatalities & Wounded'''
+* '''2003-03-23''' [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030323-1.html President Discusses Military Operation]: Remarks by the President in Press Availability Upon Return From Camp David
-** [http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ Iraq Body Count]: civilian fatalities
+* '''2003-03-22''' [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030322.html President Discusses Beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom]: President's Radio Address
-** [http://icasualties.org/oif/ Iraq Coalition Casualties]: military fatalities & injuries
+* '''2003-03-19''' [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/19/sprj.irq.int.bush.transcript/index.html?_s=PM:US U.S. President George W. Bush has announced that war against Iraq has begun.]
+* '''2003-03-08''' [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030308-1.html War on Terror]: President's Radio Address
-==Related Pages==
+===News===
-* [[Balkans vs. Iraq]]: a comparison of the two interventions
+{{links/news}}
-* The [[US invasion of Iraq]] is part of the [[43rd US Presidential administration|Bush administration]]'s [[War on Terror]]
-* [[US justifications for invading Iraq]] (included below)
-* The current occupation of Iraq, with no timetable (much less a plan) for exit, is an example of an [[endless crisis]]
-==Justification==
-{{:US justifications for invading Iraq}}
-==Alternatives==
-...as opposed to "staying the course" without clear goals, much less a plan.
-* '''2007-01-17''' [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/17/112439/808 The Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act of 2007] by [http://congresswoman-lynn-woolsey.dailykos.com/ Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey]
-==Effects==
-* The absurd overcommitment of {{USA}} resources to the Iraq war has resulted in both plummeting [[US military readiness]] and increasingly poor [[US veteran medical care]].
-===news of effects===
-* '''2006-10-12''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6040054.stm 'Huge rise' in Iraqi death tolls]: "An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have died since 2003 who might still be alive but for the US-led invasion, according to a survey by a US university."
-* '''2006-03-20''' [http://www.juancole.com/2006/03/top-ten-catastrophes-of-third-year-of.html Top Ten Catastrophes of the Third Year of American Iraq]
-* '''2005-07-18''' [http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Report:_invasion_of_Iraq_provided_boost_for_Al-Qaeda Invasion was boost for Al Qaeda]
-The [[US Republican Party|Republicans]] largely continue to stand behind the war effort, a position which is now in stark disagreement with their [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/features/platform.00/ 2000 Party Platform]:
-{{excerpt|The [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/features/platform.00/ 2000 Republican Party Platform] says:}}
-When presidents fail to make hard choices, those who serve must make them instead. Soldiers must choose whether to stay with their families or to stay in the armed forces at all. Sending our military on vague, aimless, and endless missions rapidly saps morale. Even the highest morale is eventually undermined by back-to-back deployments, poor pay, shortages of spare parts and equipment, inadequate training, and rapidly declining readiness.
-{{-excerpt}}
-{{excerpt|from [http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/061218fa_fact2 The New Yorker]:}}
-Ron Suskind, in his book ''The One Percent Doctrine'', claims that analysts at the C.I.A. watched a similar video, released in 2004, and concluded that "bin Laden’s message was clearly designed to assist the President’s reëlection." Bin Laden shrewdly created an implicit association between Al Qaeda and the Democratic Party, for he had come to feel that Bush’s strategy in the war on terror was sustaining his own global importance.
-{{-excerpt}}
-==News Articles==
-* '''2007-04-19''':
-** [http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/19/ap3632414.html Pentagon Can Pay for War Through June]
-** [http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/17104704.htm?source=rss&channel=krwashington_nation Training Iraqi troops no longer driving force in U.S. policy] by Nancy A. Youssef: "Military planners have abandoned the idea that standing up Iraqi troops will enable American soldiers to start coming home soon and now believe that U.S. troops will have to defeat the insurgents and secure control of troubled provinces."
-* '''2007-04-06''' [[wikinews:US Defense Secretary evaluates Iraq and the political climate|US Defense Secretary evaluates Iraq and the political climate]]
-* '''2007-02-21''' [[wikinews:UK and Denmark announce troop withdrawals from Iraq|UK and Denmark announce troop withdrawals from Iraq]]
-* '''2007-02-19''' [http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/48186/ Leaving Iraq: Apocalypse Not] by Robert Dreyfuss: "Much of Washington assumes that withdrawing from Iraq will lead to a bigger bloodbath. We need to question that assumption."
-* '''2007-01-15''' [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002337.php Today's Must Read]: Bush officials are finally, maybe, easing gently out of denial regarding the ghastly mistakes made in Iraq in 2003.
-* '''2007-01-14''' [http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2152438.ece  Shock and oil: Iraq's billions & the White House connection]
-* '''2007-01-13''' [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1989397,00.html 'The jihad now is against the Shias, not the Americans'] "As 20,000 more US troops head for Iraq, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, the only correspondent reporting regularly from behind the country's sectarian battle lines, reveals how the Sunni insurgency has changed."
-* '''2006-12-07''' [http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/07/isg-underreporting-violence/ ISG Report: Bush Administration ‘Significantly Underreporting The Violence In Iraq’]: the Bush administration has actually been filtering out the bad news in Iraq by underreporting violence "in order to suit the Bush administration’s policy goals."
-* '''2006-12-06''' [[wikinews:Iraq Study Group Report: Iraq could be on a slide towards chaos|Iraq Study Group Report: Iraq could be on a slide towards chaos]]
-* '''2006-12-04''' [[wikinews:Kofi Annan: Iraq situation much worse than civil war|Kofi Annan: Iraq situation much worse than civil war]]
-* '''2006-12-03''' [[wikinews:Rumsfeld memo recognizes need for 'major adjustment' in Iraq|Rumsfeld memo recognizes need for 'major adjustment' in Iraq]]
-* '''2006-11-04''' [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/04/war.games.ap/index.html  War simulation in 1999 pointed out Iraq invasion problems]
-** Hawker Hurricane [http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2006/11/ammo-ammo-get-your-ammo.html#116272332525431921] said:
-**:  Quoting Stefan Jones:
-**:: "Oh . . . I get it. 1999. That was a [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] era war game, yielding lessons only of use by an administration mired in old-fashioned reality-based thinking."
-**: That is pretty close to the truth. Politically, they couldn't afford to send 400,000 troops to Iraq for the 2-5 years it would take to do the mission... So, they decided that it wouldn't take that many troops or that long. The decision wasn't based on new facts or better stratergy, it was based on what was politically feasible. "The [[wikipedia:Truimph of the Will|Truimph of the Will]]" covers it as a concept. And now the NeoCons who said it could be done that way are blaming BushCo for failing...
-* '''2006-11-03''' [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/world/middleeast/03reconstruct.html?hp&ex=1162616400&en=590b5ef31979d828&ei=5094&partner=homepage Congress Tells Auditor in Iraq to Close Office]: [[Stuart Bowen]] has apparently done his job too well.
-* '''2006-10-18''' [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/18/iraq.baker.reut/  Baker: No 'magic bullet' for Iraq]
-* '''2006-10-17''' [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/10/17/iraq.reality.check.1/  Iraq reality check: The cost in lives lost]
-* '''2006-09-28''' [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15022363/ Heralded Iraq police academy a 'disaster'] by Amit R. Paley, ''The Washington Post''
-* '''2006-09-17''' [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600193.html Ties to GOP Trumped Know-How Among Staff Sent to Rebuild Iraq] by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, ''Washington Post'' Staff Writer
-* '''2006-06-07''' [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13190993/ Officer says he won’t fight in ‘unlawful’ Iraq war]
-* '''2005-11-17''' [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/17/politics/17text-murtha.html?pagewanted=1 Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania calls for a change of direction]
-* '''2005-09-19''' [http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article313538.ece $1 billion missing from Iraq's defence ministry]
-* '''2003-10-02''' [http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/102.php Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War]: Study Finds Widespread Misperceptions on Iraq Highly Related to Support for War
-==Reports==
-* '''2004-09-29''' [http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=72659 Wall Street Journal reporter Farnaz Fassihi reports from Baghdad]
-==Other Opinions==
-* '''2007-03-07''' [http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13710030/leaving_iraq_the_grim_truth/print Beyond Quagmire]: A panel of experts convened by Rolling Stone agree that the war in Iraq is lost. The only question now is: How bad will the coming explosion be? (Experts: Zbigniew Brzezinski, [[Richard Clarke]], Nir Rosen, Gen. Tony McPeak (retired), Bob Graham, Chas Freeman, Paul Pillar, Michael Scheuer, Juan Cole)
-* '''2007-02-16''' [http://www.vastrightwingconspiracy.com/blog/2007/02/single-darkest-day-in-history-of-us.html  The Single Darkest Day in the History of the US]: strongly anti-withdrawal blog entry. Seems to make some strange equivalences, but perhaps this could be useful in understanding the pro-Bush mindset?
-* '''2007-01-22''' "The Iraq War and the Sicilian Campaign" by Brent T. Ranalli, [http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=5914 Part I] and [http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=5926 Part II]: a [[history lesson]] from 415 BC, in which Athens, a "superpower" of the day, was ultimately destroyed by over-investment in an ill-considered war
-* '''2006-12-03''' [http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2006-12-03-1.html How Our Civilization ''Can'' Fall] by [[Orson Scott Card]]: offers a reasonable-sounding argument for the US to remain [[US invasion of Iraq|in Iraq]], based on historical civilization-wide crashes. The difference between this and other arguments against leaving Iraq is that it suggests a possible model for what the US should be doing there, with historical data to back it up.
-* '''2006-11-23''' [http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2006/11/roads_good_intentions_etcetera.html Roads, good intentions, etcetera] by Charlie Stross (blog entry, with comments)
-* '''2006-11-16''' [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19720 Iraq: The War of the Imagination] by Mark Danner
-* '''2006-10-30''' [[The Only Issue This Election Day (by Orson Scott Card)|The Only Issue This Election Day]] by [[Orson Scott Card]] explains why we are [[nation building]] in Iraq, and why it is the only worthy path.
-* '''2006-08-13''' [http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2006-08-13-1.html Lies and Catastrophes] by [[Orson Scott Card]] in defense of the Iraq war and Bush; synopsis:
-** A Democratic congressman recently used the word "catastrophic" in reference to Iraq, "but catastrophe is a word that requires there be widespread sudden damage" so the congressman must mean something else (first 12 paragraphs)
-** This is because "he was selling something", i.e. "He was trying to persuade the American people that the Iraq War was a dire mistake, a disaster" which can only (and must) be ended "by withdrawing our troops by the end of the year." (2  short paragraphs)
-** Withdrawing our troops in that manner, however, ''would'' be a catastrophe because:
-*** "all the people who have taken bold action for democracy in Iraq would be left high and dry in the tribal and religious war that would certainly ensue. The citizens of Iraq would be slaughtered by local enemies who think nothing of blowing up each other's mosques, weddings, and funerals."
-*** "all our enemies would be greatly emboldened by such a proof of our irresolution." Our enemies would learn that "If you kill American citizens and soldiers long enough, they give you everything you want. Since they were killing Americans before we liberated Iraq, it is hard to imagine that they would stop."
-** People who favor withdrawal from Iraq only do so because "they think we are somehow the cause of the war. We were bad, and so they hate us; if we become good, then they will be nice to us." ''([[straw man argument]] &ndash;[[User:Woozle|Woozle]])'' This is not at all true; they hate us because we are prosperous.
-** The rest seems to be devoted to exploring the meaning of "lying" with regard to [[Bill Clinton vs. George W. Bush]]; further fisking needed.
-* '''2006-08-10''' [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080901514.html The Guns Of August] by [[Richard Holbrooke]]
-* '''2006-07-23''' [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/22/AR2006072201004.html In Iraq, Military Forgot Lessons of Vietnam]: also makes some comparisons with the [[1994 Balkan Intervention|Balkans]]
-* '''2006-07-17''' [http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/38986/ Iraq's Reconstruction a Boondoggle by Design] by Joshua Holland, AlterNet
-* '''2006-07-12''' [http://www.ils.unc.edu/~cmpalmer/correspondence/exchanges.html Exchanges with Mr. Bailey, a high school student] (who may or may not have been actually a [[meme spam]]mer)
-* '''2005-12-01''' [http://mediacitizen.blogspot.com/2005/12/lying-about-war.html Lying about the War]: "truth became the first casualty in their campaign to whip up support."
-* '''2005-08-30''' [http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0805/prager083005.php3 Just one question for opponents of the war] by [[Dennis Prager]]
-* '''2003-01-21''' [http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/pinter1.html One of the More Nauseating Images] by [[wikipedia:Harold Pinter|Harold Pinter]]
-* '''2003-01-19''' [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,877652,00.html Saddam will not be deposed by sweet reason or sanctions]: pre-invasion opinions from a number of prominent Britons
-* '''2002-08-26''' [[MoveOn petition against invading Iraq]]
-===David Brin===
-From http://www.davidbrin.com/neocons.html :
-* Over a thousand Americans lost, with more dying almost daily and no end in sight.
-* Uncounted (and secret) numbers of Iraqi civilian deaths.
-* Scandals; poorly supervised thugs ruining our reputation for decent behavior.
-* A Western Alliance in shambles.
-* Relentless lies; intervention justified by fabricated evidence reminiscent of Tonkin Gulf.
-* Plummeting [[US military readiness|readiness]] levels &mdash; our military is being used-up.
-* Utterly divisive of American public (possibly a desired goal), repeating the social effects of Vietnam ''(Editor's note: further enhancing Bush's existing [[The Red-Blue Divide|divisiveness]])''
-* Clever incarceration tricks overused as bludgeons, wrecking credibility and undermining due process.
-* Incompetent preparation and handling of the aftermath, featuring rapid deterioration of political, economic and social life in Iraq
-* Worldwide acceptance of US moral leadership plummeting.
-* And the '''fundamental strategic outcome''' &mdash; provoking a radicalized Islam, further stirred by Saudi-funded Al Jazeera Network and Saudi-funded religious schools, from Morocco to Mindanao, threatening a pan-Islamic coalescence into Jihad mentality for the first time in a thousand years.
-==Humor==
-* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-KWYYIY4jQ Apple Presents the iRack] from MadTV
-* [[htwiki:We Want Iraq|We Want Iraq]] (originally written for the 1992 Gulf War)
-==Quotes==
-* "I thought they were out of their minds, once I realised that they weren't kidding. The most inappropriate, the most counterproductive thing we could've done would've been to invade Iraq and I rather thought that was self-evident." &ndash; [[Richard A. Clarke]], former US Counter-Terrorism Advisor [http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1738419.htm]
 ==Trivia==
 * "Drat Saddam, a mad dastard!" is a palindrome.