Journalist Lara Jakes wrote for The Associated Press 6 March 2013: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ten years and $60 billion in American taxpayer funds later, Iraq is still so unstable and broken that even its leaders question whether U.S. efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation were worth the cost. In his final report to Congress, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen's conclusion was all too clear: Since the invasion a decade ago this month, the U.S. has spent too much money in Iraq for too few results. The reconstruction effort "grew to a size much larger than was ever anticipated," Bowen told The Associated Press in a preview of his last audit of U.S. funds spent in Iraq, to be released Wednesday. "Not enough was accomplished for the size of the funds expended." ...Iraq's government is rife with corruption and infighting. Baghdad's streets are still cowed by near-daily deadly bombings. A quarter of the country's 31 million population lives in poverty, and few have reliable electricity and clean water. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- article MISSION ACCOMPLISHED EPIC FAIL
This is not surprising to the 20% of Americans that opposed going to war with Iraq as it was a prediction that was made in late 2002 and early 2003 before the invasion. Virtually every prediction made by those of us that opposed the war has come true. The next prediction we made before the war that is still left to be fulfilled is that Iraq will return to being a tyrannical dictatorship. No one should be surprised when that happens.
For future reference consider than Iran is almost 3 times bigger than Iraq . You shouldn't worry about the $60b since they went mostly into the pockets of your fellow Americans doing "lucrative business"
The US tore up much of that war-torn nation in the first place. I have heard that the American's- either politically or physically- have been shouldered out of Iraq's politics or Iraq's oil because the new Iraqi Parliament, no matter how much infighting, adamantly refused further political/economic incursion and widespread Iraqi civilian resistance was unmanageable. I'm not sure if there's truth to that or not, but wondering if anyone else knew.
To be accurate the US was "forced out" of Iraq because of the immunity from prosecution for US forces and contractors in Iraq that Iraq was no longer willing to provide after numerous cases of murder and abuse of Iraqis that went unpunished. We could have stayed but Iraq wanted to be able to prosecute any US forces or contractors that violated Iraqi law in the Iraqi courts. It was actually a US decision to leave Iraq and Iraq did not mandate the US departure. Iraq just refused to extend immunity from prosecution. It is interesting that the US chose not to stay considering we allow Japan to prosecute Americans for violations of the laws of Japan in Japanese courts and we also insist on being able to prosecute foreigners on US soil for violations of US laws.
Yep, that's how I heard it. Thanks, mate. don't know if that's exactly the whole story though, but what can you do... About the violations thing though, perhaps it has something to do with the nature of the crimes they were going to be charged with.
Yeah, but those are likely the same crimes that would have been leveled against the US in Japan, right? Those crimes seem like the basic package.
Sadly that will not restore the lives of over 100,000 innocent Iraqis died or the lives of thousands of US soldiers that were lost or replace the arms and legs of soldiers that were permanately disabled, or help the many tens of thousands of US soldiers and their families that were destroyed by their mission to Iraq and all for a mission that really accomplished nothing.
The belief that "the war is over" is only held by those unaffected by war. It is estimated that 22 veterans commit suicide every single day and this is most often caused by PTSD resulting from war. It is a problem that often takes years to manifest itself as most of these suicides are being committed by Vietnam veterans decades after they actually served in combat. The death toll for American soldiers involved in the Iraq War will continue for decades to come. We also know that war destroys the personal lives of those that have served and their families and that these problems negatively affect their entire future life. http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/partners_of_vets_research_findings.asp The War is never over...............
