Why we are in Iraq

[darth vader]

I heard something on the news the other night which gave another slant as to why we are there - they were interviewing an Iraqi who stated that the common Iraqi people have been waiting 10 years for this war so that they could be liberated from the oppression of SH - does anyone have anything to substantiate this theory and are we actually there to save the Iraqi people?

[Miss Zippy]

I don't doubt that many Iraqi people have been waiting for a moment like this for many years. They've led appalling, heartbreaking lives. But I don't for one minute buy into these attempts at legitimising this war; if liberating the Iraqi people from SH's regime was truly the motive, it would have happened years ago or, rather, they would have done the job properly 12 years ago. Also, this WMD red-herring - hello? 9/11 shows you only need a handful of suicidal fanatics and some cutlery to wreak havoc.

[map08]

Well, of course the Arab countries don't want America to go around removing their heads of state! It's a matter of domestic security for them all, not to mention a breach of state sovreignty by any invading force. What I find disturbing is this new Iraqi anti-regime coalition - who are they? Why are they not in Iraq? Are they sincere, or are they merely groups who have lost out to the Baathis in a power struggle? The same fears are not being resolved by the Afghans at the moment, with the very mixed Northern Alliance. The big worry is that Saddam will merely be replaced by a similar regime.