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Missing_Trillions OP t1_j0q22ur wrote

And another one

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Losing Iraq (2014) - Examines the unfolding chaos in Iraq and how the U.S. is being pulled back into the conflict. Drawing on interviews with policymakers and military leaders.
Traces the U.S. role from the 2003 invasion to the current violence, exploring how Iraq itself came undone. [01:23:16]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-Wi2LgwD5U

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x31b t1_j0qzket wrote

Iraq would have been better off if the US had just installed a competent dictator.

−25

KruppeTheWise t1_j0rc1pg wrote

Putin to ze boys

I just saw this awesome Udemy course on how to invade a country! The Americans will be so proud of me!

−20

Nadfam t1_j0rk8ig wrote

Thanks to the USA war on Iraq.

0

Mustafaskyrim t1_j0rsfvg wrote

It sucks to see these comments laughing or meme(ing) the war on my country while we lived through hell because of what happened( I have no idea if it was better if Saddam stayed) but we grow up feeling helpless in this world that have abandoned us when we needed it the most (revolution 2019)

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pnplparadise_03 t1_j0schm5 wrote

Think of all the young talent they’ve lost. Smh

1

Extra-Ad-1447 t1_j0siz7m wrote

Thats a big claim, even some iraqi shias will tell you it was better under saddam. And no one said so called isis are moderate. Cant tell if you're being sarcastic or just an ignorant outsider.

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nova9001 t1_j0t1yp6 wrote

Iraq has WMDs was the reason they came up with to invade a sovereign nation.

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GQManOfTheYear t1_j0t2w0i wrote

What the US did to Iraq is nothing short of evil.

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TinKicker t1_j0t9lxc wrote

This always irks me.

Iraq, in fact, possessed WMDs. (Various blister and nerve gas agents). They produced these agents in large quantities…and used them on both Iran and their own Kurdish populations. All of this is well documented.

An Iraqi general later admitted to being one of the leaders responsible for smuggling large quantities of these agents out of the country. Syria being one of those destinations.

Was lumping Iraq into the GWOT wise? Probably not.

But to say they didn’t produce/possess WMDs is demonstrably false.

−14

sds0918 t1_j0tawfj wrote

It 100% would have been better if he stayed. The amount of immediate and long term suffering in everything the US touches is immeasurable. The deaths, displacements, destruction of infrastructure, contamination of the echo systems and subsequent poisoning of local populations, following destabilization, and then usually crippling genocidal sanctions.

Of course Iraq would have been better off, and so would have countless other countries that the US has ravaged.

2

nova9001 t1_j0tdeu3 wrote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

>A year later, the United States Senate officially released the Senate Report of Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq which concluded that many of the Bush Administration's pre-war statements about Iraqi WMD were misleading and not supported by the underlying intelligence. United States–led inspections later found that Iraq had earlier ceased active WMD production and stockpiling; the war was called by many, including 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a "mistake".[1]

WMDs my ass.

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WikiSummarizerBot t1_j0tdfqz wrote

Iraq and weapons of mass destruction

>Iraq actively researched and later employed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from 1962 to 1991, when it destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile and halted its biological and nuclear weapon programs as required by the United Nations Security Council. The fifth president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was internationally condemned for his use of chemical weapons during the 1980s campaign against Iranian and Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran–Iraq War. In the 1980s, Saddam pursued an extensive biological weapons program and a nuclear weapons program, though no nuclear bomb was built.

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4

CloudJGuardian t1_j0tkbho wrote

Iraq would have been better off without saddam in general.

But I’m 100% happy he is gone, considering he killed several of my family members as well as torture my father to the point of needing neurosurgery years after.

Considering the million of people dead or tortured over the years, he should never have been put into power by western nations in the first place. Iraq has been messed around with several times, but they’re 100% in a bette place now then with saddam. Let’s just hope western nations stay out of the middle east and don’t repeat their mistakes.

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Soltronus t1_j0toii4 wrote

It took me a long time to come to terms with my actions in Iraq. I was just a kid, just a cog in a larger machine, sure; but I still made decisions that cost innocent people their livelihoods and indecisions that cost them their lives.

We lost our minds as a country after the towers fell, desperate for someone to blame. The Saudis were too economically important to us, but Iraq was a prime target for unwarranted aggression.

Like a bully on a playground who slugs the first person he sees after getting sucker-punched, Western militaries descended on Iraq and we caused nothing but chaos, and misery, destruction, and death.

I had no idea about the complex division of ethnicities and faiths there. Just a haphazard division of ink on a map that separated people of differing cultures thousands of years old, stuffed them into a box and called it "Iraq." We arrived with tanks, and guns, and bombs, and shitty, sweaty cans as just another group of imperialists to tell these people how to live their lives, in their homes, on their land.

I wish we had been a better people. I wish we were better people. I wish that I had been better. I wish that I was better.

4

zgembo1337 t1_j0tqcaw wrote

>The amount of immediate and long term suffering in everything the US touches is immeasurable.

Yep... Most of the world already hates the US (and many americans aren't aware of that), while at the same time, they share propaganda, how their soldiers are "fighting for american freedom" by killing people half a planet away.

Now, someone else is also waging a war, and we have a bunch of propaganda, flags in profiles, sanctions, and general hate, while ignoring that US (and quite a few other countries) are occupying other sovereign countries too, right now.

−7

Tokyosmash t1_j0tz665 wrote

For arguments sake, Saddam killed millions of his own people, employed literal WMD’s (in the form of chemical weapons) against the Kurds and invaded a sovereign nation to quite literally seize their resources for its benefit, the Iraqi Liberation Act was signed in to law in 1998.

There were many chances to remove Saddam and nobody ever wanted to make that call unfortunately until it turned in to a full on invasion which WAS SUCCESSFUL. That’s where the line should have been drawn instead of endlessly trying to nation build.

0

gerd50501 t1_j0u4w6e wrote

what is it like in iraq now? what do your parents say how it compares to under saddam. there are videos on the web of saddam having people thrown off buildings. taking sledge hammers and bashing their hands. Lots of reports of torture.

does it matter if you are a sunni or a shia? The sunni supported Saddam. Shia/Kurds were far more repressed. Are you sunni or shia? I dont think any of the Kurds miss trump.

1

gerd50501 t1_j0u4zpv wrote

for the Sunnis maybe. Not for the other 80%. The Kurds and Shia are glad he is gone. They celebrated his removal. This response is totally stuck up. Ask the Kurds if they prefer to have Saddam there. There are videos of his goons taking sledge hammers to people's hands and throwing them off buildings. Summary executions (murders).

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iamnekkid t1_j0u7725 wrote

The US did this and no one cared.

they did the same with Afghanistan and 67 other countries.

The most evil country ever.

−1

npiperno t1_j0uqlx5 wrote

your response shows how you live in a bubble where ppl (other than USians) actually like USians. news flash: we (the world) don't. USians keep interfering in internal political affairs for your own interest, even if it means putting a country thru a military regime because you just couldn't let a country move without your own ideologies (I come from one of those countries, you should look it up how many of those there are).

p.s.: before you say anything, yes, I do know USianS and they're smart enough to know their history and geopolitical facts, enough to know how f*ed up US is, specially when it comes to political matters overseas

−1

nova9001 t1_j0urga0 wrote

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/04/30/605240844/15-years-after-u-s-invasion-some-iraqis-are-nostalgic-for-saddam-hussein-era

>"Those who came after haven't improved the infrastructure, they haven't built anything, they haven't done anything for the people," says Jabouri. "Saddam's was a brutal regime. But now, I really regret hitting the statue."

When the new Iraqi government is such a shit show the locals prefer Saddam Hussein.

Everytime US invades a country they install a pro US government that does jack shit for the locals. Same thing with Afghan where the locals rather choose Taliban.

−2

nova9001 t1_j0urz09 wrote

US can never admit they are wrong. Sanctions have never worked but US thinks its a great solution. I look forward to the day where countries around the world tells US to fuck off with sanctions.

2

nova9001 t1_j0us869 wrote

Its funny how America and its Western allies invade countries and that's ok but when Russia does it, the whole world needs to stand up to Russian aggression.

Simply amazing double standards.

0

zgembo1337 t1_j0uwxef wrote

Yep... And they're far from being the only one... You have Israel and Saudi Arabia, but both are US-friendly, so "it's OK", and lets not forget a bunch of stuff in africa, where noone cares, then you hear that some local leader wants the (eg.) french to go home from their country, then silence, some shooting, a coup, change of government and everything is quiet again.

1

gerd50501 t1_j0v1vgw wrote

no. only Sunni locals prefer Saddam. Sunnis are 20% of the population. Saddam had an apartheid government. you dont know anything. 80% of the population who are Shia and Kurds do not want Saddam back.

you are just stereotyping people since you do not know anything. The headline is literally "some iraqis". Some of the 20% of iraqis who are Sunnis. ISIS was 100% Sunnis and supported in Sunni areas. They targed Shia and Kurds.

you literally dont know anything and are making excusing for a murdering dictator cause you hate america so much.

Your lack of understanding about Iraq and how its really 3 different ethnic groups (with some smaller groups) and not really 1 country that is united. Shows western bias.

2

PretendsHesPissed t1_j0v74b1 wrote

Yeah no. Saddam was a fucking monster and needed to go.

No dictator that rules to oppress a majority of its people is good for a country. Not to mention that he used his military for evil purposes.

The US terrible things in Iraq but that doesn't mean Saddam was better. Absolutely not. Thinking or even saying such a thing shows a level of ignorance so grand that it's insane to think people actually think this.

1

Mustafaskyrim t1_j0v7l7y wrote

I’ll try to answer your questions My parents hated Saddam’s rule I was discussing tha subject the other day and we concluded and summarized it in a sentence If you think you get killed If you try to be someone the government doesn’t want you to be for the slightest bit You get punished

It does matter now Not in terms of getting killed But in terms of being scared the whole time for yourself and your family so you play your life extra safe You don’t risk anything So you live your life inside a bubble you created and keep lying to yourself that everything will be okay So no dreams or anything Idk what i’m saying or typing right now I’m just writing the first things that comes to my mind so sorry if it’s incomprehensible Tldr : I think nowadays it’s better in terms of quality of life things Like internet ,food and such But in terms of the country? It’s a shitshow 140 billion dollar a year goes to surrounding countries and nothing gets built or given to the iraqi people Curse of the black gold huh

2

Mustafaskyrim t1_j0w749p wrote

And you can't do that now either It reached the point of corruption that if a guy is doing good deeds to people Either get killed or defamed in a matter so disgusting The only change we are hoping for is from outside (US involvment or such)

1