The Iraq War

Let’s see, was it worth it? Oh, I’m talking about the current war. It's a relevant question for me because I may be over there again in a few weeks. (My other option is Afghanistan.) There are those who continue to undermine the war effort with pacifist drivel. By worth, we have to be talking geopolitical worth.

For those who think we should not have removed Saddam, consider these facts. His regime was directly responsible for 500,000 - 1,000,000 Iranian deaths plus almost 1,000,000 of his own people during the Iran-Iraq war.

One of over 500 identified mass graves in Iraq from the Saddam era.
This one contained over 1,000 bodies.

To this add 500,000 - 1,000,000 deaths due to programs to wipe out the Marsh Arabs, Shiites, Kurds and anyone else in opposition to his regime. To date we have found over 500 mass graves throughout Iraq containing an estimated 300,000 – 500,000 Iraqi men, women, and children. It will take years to survey them all.

So the Saddam regime is responsible for 1,000,000 – 2,000,000 Iraqi deaths, plus at least 500,000 Iranian deaths. Ok, maybe not in the same league with Hitler and Stalin, but probably in the top ten modern era.

Child victims of the gas attack on Halabja, Iraq March 1988

None of this even takes into consideration arguments about WMD. You can argue if you will, that we haven’t found them, but you can’t argue that he never had them. 15 – 19 March 1988, his regime used sarin, tabun, VX (nerve agents), blood agents and mustard gas against Kurdish civilians in Halabja, Iraq killing 3,500 – 5,000 immediately. Another 30,000 died later. Keep in mind that this was a directed, deliberate attack on unarmed civilians.

Pacifist handwringing and U.N. resolutions did nothing to prevent any of this. Nor did it bring Saddam to justice.

At the time of 9/11, virtually every pundit and analyst predicted that a wave of terrorist attacks was imminent. Almost seven years have passed and we are still waiting. Why? Because the terrorists are on the run everywhere. Why? Because we are hunting them down and killing them everywhere. The U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003. Pacifist pundits predicted that terrorists would soon attack in retaliation. Five years later, nothing here…nothing against a U.S. target.

Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and the Iraq war are creating a “new generation of terrorists” the pacifist left says. In 1993 we had the first World Trade Center bombing. In 1998 there were simultaneous bombings at two U.S. Embassies in East Africa. In 2000 the USS Cole was damaged in suicide boat attack. In 2001 we had the events of 9/11. All of this occurred prior to the Iraq War, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo – eight years, five major terrorist attacks. Since the war – seven years, no major terrorist attacks.

Another result of the Iraq War has been the turn-around of Libya. In September 2003 on the anniversary of 9/11, the Libyans finally came to agreement on settling with the families of the Lockerbie bombing victims. After which, the UN lifted sanctions. At the same time, Libya renounced and dismantled their WMD programs and allowed for UN inspectors to verify and certify that those programs were dismantled. Libya allowed the type of unfettered access to inspectors that we never saw from Saddam. Seems Gadhafi figured a resurgent U.S. was no longer to be messed with. And gee, it has worked out pretty good for both sides. He is selling us oil again.

In geopolitical terms, you have to answer the initial question with a resounding YES!