How did the Iraq war start?
952762
You opened up a huge can of worms now..\n\nBack during the first Gulf war, Saddam invaded Kuwait.  We went in and crushed him then.  Every since he has been pissed so he screws with us, the UN and anyone else who tries to keep him from killing everyone... including his own people.\n\nWell, enough was enough and then the UN sanctions were not met and he refused to allow inspectors in.  He was given an ultimatum.  He lost. \n\nNow, all the liberals and uniformed are going to say for:\n\n1. revenge.\n2. oil. \n\nThats crap.
179356
The operation was Called Operation Iraqi Freedom, that should explain a lot.  We were looking for WMDs that we knew should have been there and the other purpose was to rid the country of Saddam Hussein's regime.
412719
The War was not "Legal", if any war could be justified in Law. Saddam was an Evil Dictator, but there are plenty of those in the World, some of the Allied to the USA (Hello Saudi Arabia!) There were no WMD's, but Loads of Oil, and no one seemed to have a clue what to do After we got rid of old Saddam. I think the Western powers did all they could to keep civilian casualties to a minimum, but I also believe that the USA and Britain went to war to secure a strategic resource, and for no other reason. 9/1 had nothing to do with Iraq, and that is a given. I think depending on the outcome History will judge the war as a naked show of aggression against a foreign power, with good or bad results. We will see.
1048535
The Iraq war was a farce. Big oil is the answer!
156573
First, your question is flawed by assuming the war is for oil.\n\nSecond, I have done two tours in Iraq. The vast majority of Iraqis love Americans. The kids love us and want to shake our hands. The adults love us and regularly invite us to dinner and special occasions. They love us when we build schools. They love us when we build roads. They love us when we rid villages of insurgents.\n\nDon't believe what the liberal media is spinning. They have an agenda just like you.
574053
The original premise for invading Iraq was the alleged presence of WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and possible ties between Saddam and Al Qaeda.  Both allegations have been proven false since the invasion.  Whether Saddam's overthrow has made the region more stable will not be answered for years, possibly decades.\n\nThere are parallels between Iraq and Vietnam.  In both conflicts, our troops were not fighting an enemy which clearly identifies itself.  Another similarity shared by Iraq and Vietnam is the lack of well-defined goals for victory.\n\nWhile it has been speculated oil was the primary reason for invading Iraq, that remains largely unproven.  Statistically speaking, Canada and Mexico provide the largest chunk of imported crude oil to the United States, followed by Saudi Arabia.  It appears the decision to invade Iraq was based more on socio-political reasons (i.e. establishing a Western-friendly regime) than it was for acquiring natural resources.
664751
On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraqi military forces, on orders from President Saddam Hussein, invaded and occupied the small country of Kuwait. The Persian Gulf War of 1991--from January 16 to February 28--was fought to expel Iraq and restore Kuwaiti independence.\n\n     The attack on Kuwait by Iraq caused the United Nations Security Council to pass several resolution to close Iraq from International trade. The Security Council wanted President Saddam Hussein removed his troops from Kuwait and to distroy nonconventional weapons. Read about two of the most importaint ones: Resolution 660, first resolution after the attack, and 678, to use all necessary means to free Kuwait.\n\n War Summary\n     The Iraqi armed forces had extensive experience of warfare. They had just brought an eight year war with Iran to a successful conclusion. The Coalition troops, on the other hand, were largely inexperienced. Britain had found the Falklands War with marines and paratroopers; this war was fought with tanks and mechanized infantry instead. The Syrians had fought within the last decade in Lebanon, but the 9th Division had not been involved. The Egyptians had last fought a war in 1973, shortly after the US had wound down its involvement in Vietnam. Of the gulf states, only Omani Army had anything approaching extensive combat experience.\n\n\n     One reason that the Iraqis' experience did them little good was that it was the wrong kind of experience. They had plenty of experience in fighting a positional war of wearing down Iran forces. Instead of helping, this was a positive disadvantage when fighting a mobile campaign; they would have been better off starting fresh without a lot of bad habits.\n\n\n     Of Iraq's 545,000 troops in the Kuwait Theater of Operations, about 100,000 are believed to have lost their lives. Of IRaq's 44 army divisions, 42 were found to be combat ineffective.
417960
It would have been during the 1980's during the Iran-Iraq War, which would have been under Reagan. But it my best knowledge, Iraqi chemical weapons know how came from the French and German Govt's and companies not American we provided cash and weapons to the Iraqis.\nAlso, no President supported his coming to power he just rose up and took over the Baath Party in Iraq.
974553
This was a massive plunder operation under the guise of patriotism misplaced.  It is otherwise known as the big lie.  Iraq was ugly for many, but peaceful.  Now Iraq is a violent shambles,directly due to the intervention of GW Bush.  If there were no oil there, do you think we would be there?  Not a chance.
59675
During the Persian Gulf war in 1991, the first President Bush decided not to invade Iraq.  He later explained that overthrowing the Iraqi government would have "incurred incalculable human and political costs... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq."  He also said if we did invade Iraq, "We're going to be an occupying power — America in an Arab land — with no allies at our side. It would have been disastrous."\n\nPresident George H.W. Bush was right.  That's why the Iraq policy has been a disaster.
770520
the dumb ass american government saw that iraq had a lot of oil and got jealous. so they made up a long story and said they had to protect the iraqi civilians. now they're just killing them (if you wanna call that protect them)\nUS wanted oil, that's the reason. and as for weapons of mass destruction. aparently sadam had some. let him have them, the US has them too. and it´s none of the US' business if they have them in iraq, it´s their land, let them do what they please
54281
the americans wanted oil from the iraq. when the iraq did not want to give them they want to have war
623053
Actually, this war in Iraq is an extension of the first Gulf war in 91' because Saddam did not abide by 17 UN resolutions.  You could also say that the hatred Arabs have for Israel stems from WWII when the Holocaust occurred in Nazi Germany.  It was realized that the Jews had no homeland of their own and that is when the Jews obtained Israel.
669969
First of all keep in mind that most of America's oil comes from the middle east...\n\nRight now in Iraq a civil war is on the verge of breaking out b/w the Sunni Muslims and the Shiite Muslims, and our troops are one of the few factors keeping it under control. If civil war did start...the price of oil could go even higher than it is now, meaning that America's fuel and petroleum industries would be crippled, causing a economic depression.\n\nBasically what I'm saying is that while you're thinking of national security in a literal way(protecting America from military attacks), the reason we are fighting is to protect America's national economic security(protecting America from a loss of jobs and money).
358146
After the US pullout of Somolia in 1998, Osama and Al Qaeda decided they could destroy the US with one giant attack, so they planned it over the next 3 years, finally executing it on September 11th.  \n\nThis triggered the US response to terrorism.  Iraq was central in this effort that because Hussein and his regime was funding terrorism around the globe, was collaborating with Al Qaeda, and was sheltering known terrorists and terrorist groups in Iraq (one group we attacked on the first days of the current war).  Also, Hussein had been warned by the UN 17 times to comply with disarming his weapons and showing the disarmament, and he failed to do so.
321585
Free elections that had a much higher turn out than ours.\n\nBuilding of schools, hospitals, power plants, sewage plants so that people have more infrastructure than they did before the war.\n\nTrained Iraqi troops, and police so that eventually they will be able to secure their own country.
957367
Many resons, the UN security council stated they had WMD. Iraq is a stratigic point in controlling the middle east. It keeps the fight off American soil to keep the civiilian causalities down.