The US Invasion and Occupation of Iraq Wasn't Worth It After All By Ali Al-Hail

The US Invasion and Occupation of Iraq Wasn't Worth It After All

By Ali Al-Hail

Al-Jazeerah, October 20, 2006

The straightforward answer is of course, NO. As the manifested neocons’ agenda of going into war in Iraq, was to dislodge Saddam from power. Because he was marketed as possessing WMDs, and had a link with Al-Qaeda. The latent agenda nonetheless, was to punish Saddam for hitting Israel with long-range missiles, in 1991. Whether that was for bad reasons, is a different story.

The fact of the matter, he did risk his political fate, and fired missiles on Israel. Thus, the war was launched upon protecting Israel’s national security, not more, not Less. As such, the WMDs, and Al-Qaeda connection upon which the war was said to be fought, had now been obsolete.

Had Saddam remained in power, Wouldn’t things have been far much better for the World’s safety, and security than they are now? The straight forward answer is of course, YES.

The reported $335 billion dollar that, spent so far on running this war, could’ve been easily spent on improving the climate warming, or the global warming increasing crisis, according to a British Antarctic survey (BBC World Service TV, Hard Talk, October 16th, 2006). As meteorologist Professor Brian Hoskins put it once, global warming is more dangerous than what’s called the war on terrorism (BBC World Service TV, Hard Talk, April 6th, 2004).

Former UN Secretary General, Botrus Ghali said once on Al-Hurra US-government Arabic TV Channel (2005), fighting the HIV virus which, threatens the lives of 200 million all over the World mostly, in Africa is more pressing than wasting trillions of dollars on the alleged ‘War on Terror’. The money could well be spent on fixing poverty, school violence, and (about 50 millions) of American without health insurance, in the US itself, let abroad.

Had Saddam stayed in place, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, including children, and women, along with US-led coalition troops would have by now, been saved. The human cost of the war over the past 3 and a half years is tremendously, high, and really, saddening. During the past 20 days of this month of October alone, 71 American soldiers and marines have been killed. Many more were injured. The total toll since March 20th, 2003 has perceivably, exceeded 2800 dead, and over 80,000 either wounded, maimed, or psuchologically, troubled, according to media reliable sources. The question arises once more again; was it really, worth it.

Since the neocons purportedly, were aware long before launching the war on march 20th, 2003 that Saddam had nothing to do with the declared reasons upon which the war went ahead, if not was for Israel, what for did they start it?

Let’s assume the war was fought for the reported Saddam’s gasing of the Kurds in Halabcha, during 1988. Why did the neocons delay avenging the Kurds suffering one decade and a half?

Well, probably, for Saddam’s oppressing the Southern Uprising due to his forces’ withdrawal from Kuwait, in 1991. Weren’t they, the ‘liberators’ of Kuwait who permitted him to take his alleged 700 tanks from Kuwait to putdown the Shi’is of the South? Moreover, weren’t they who apparently, allowed him to use the helicopters to bomb the Iranian-supported Shi’i uprising of the South?

After all, other Arab dictators did worse than Saddam against ordinary Arabs, and the neocons do know them by name. Why then, weren’t they punished in the same way Saddam was, if the issue here was human rights, freedom, or equal distribution of wealth, or reforms, or…or..?

However, the only difference perhaps, between other Arab totalitarian rulers and Saddam was that they didn’t threaten Western and Israeli interests by invading a US-Western protectorate. Albeit, Saddam completely miscalculated when invaded Kuwait). Further, they didn’t fire missiles on Israel.

Now 3 and a half years since removing Saddam, the same Arab tyrants are still in power, far worse than they have ever been. BUT, they still purchase American and EU weapons with billions of dollars, almost every year.

Just a little reminder here as the talks go, during the war between Hizbullah and Israel in July, a number of Arab countries paid billions of dollars for weapon purchases from the US, and the West. Saudi Arabia for instance signed an agreement to buy weapons from France for more than $3 billion, and days later it was announced that, it signed another agreement with the US to buy more weapons for reportedly, $4 billion.

Well, the neocons will be pleased with these Arab rulers as long as they buy weapons, to let weapons factories remain intact, as long as they don’t improve them to catch up with nuclear nations, as Saddam had nearly done, and as Iran is doing now, and as long as they don’t use their weapons against Israel, which is the most important prerequisite for the neocon pleasure. It seems that these weapons are marked with the phrase that they are only for parading to frighten ordinary Arabs, so these dictators maintain their US-Western protection.

To conclude, had Saddam remained in power, credibility of US-West as promoters of democracy, guardians of human rights, and liberators would’ve not been lessened to this current drastic degree.

Had Saddam remained in power, resistance would’ve not varied, and increased in this dramatic rhythm in Iraq.

Had Saddam remained in power, the World would have been much safer by now.

Hence, As James Baker had recently testified, the war was not worth it, and it’s getting nowhere.

Professor, Dr. Ali Al-Hail, Professor of Mass Communication, Twice Fulbright Award Winner, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, and Board Member of AUSACE ASC, IABD, NEBAA, BEA, IMDA and EAJMC American Associations. Can be contacted via: pdaah90@hotmail.com

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

Apartheid Wall


The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

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