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The '''Iraq War''', also known as '''Operation Iraqi Freedom''', the '''War in Iraq''' and the '''Iraqi War''' was the largest of several active fronts in the [[War on Terrorism]]. Other fronts included [[Afghanistan]], [[Philippines]], and the [[Horn of Africa]]. Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 3 March 2003 with the removal of the [[Ba'athist]] regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] by a "Coalition of the Willing" led by the [[United States]] and allies including the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/11/20/prague.bush.nato/ "Bush: Join 'coalition of willing'"] (November 20, 2002). Cable News Network website/International edition/Europe.</ref> An interim government, Constitutional Assembly, and later an elected Parliament and Executive assumed authority, however sectarian insurgent violence led by [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]'s [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ]]<ref>This terrorist group is commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq.</ref> has hindered stability and reconstruction efforts by US contractors and the new government. [[Iraq]]'s new Constitution strictly limits the emergency powers of the Executive in dealing with civil strife—a post-Saddam democratic reform. "10 Years After the Invasion 40 per cent of Iraqi have a job and a quarter of families live below the World Bank’s poverty line; Some in the younger generation of Iraqis who survived the years of violence see the decade of the US occupation as a requiem for their dream; education system is one of the things worst damaged by the war in Iraq, health and infrastructure are also on that list.<ref>[http://rt.com/news/iraq-us-war-cost-482/]</ref> The Iraq War has cost the U.S around $2 trillion and was partly responsible for the 2008 recession. <ref>https://www.businessinsider.com/us-taxpayers-spent-8000-each-2-trillion-iraq-war-study-2020-2</ref> <ref>https://washingtonmonthly.com/2013/03/26/did-the-iraq-war-cause-the-great-recession</ref>

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The '''Iraq War''', also known as '''Operation Iraqi Freedom''', the '''War in Iraq''' and the '''Iraqi War''' was the largest of several active fronts in the [[War on Terrorism]]. Other fronts included [[Afghanistan]], [[Philippines]], and the [[Horn of Africa]]. Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 3 March 2003 with the removal of the [[Ba'athist]] regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] by a "Coalition of the Willing" led by the [[United States]] and allies including the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/11/20/prague.bush.nato/ "Bush: Join 'coalition of willing'"] (November 20, 2002). Cable News Network website/International edition/Europe.</ref> An interim government, Constitutional Assembly, and later an elected Parliament and Executive assumed authority, however sectarian insurgent violence led by [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]'s [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ]]<ref>This terrorist group is commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq.</ref> has hindered stability and reconstruction efforts by US contractors and the new government. [[Iraq]]'s new Constitution strictly limits the emergency powers of the Executive in dealing with civil strife—a post-Saddam democratic reform. "10 Years After the Invasion 40 per cent of Iraqi have a job and a quarter of families live below the World Bank’s poverty line; Some in the younger generation of Iraqis who survived the years of violence see the decade of the US occupation as a requiem for their dream; education system is one of the things worst damaged by the war in Iraq, health and infrastructure are also on that list."<ref>[http://rt.com/news/iraq-us-war-cost-482/]</ref></ref> The Iraq War has cost the U.S around $2 trillion and was partly responsible for the 2008 recession. <ref>https://www.businessinsider.com/us-taxpayers-spent-8000-each-2-trillion-iraq-war-study-2020-2</ref><ref>https://washingtonmonthly.com/2013/03/26/did-the-iraq-war-cause-the-great-recession/</ref>

President [[Barack Obama]] declared an official end to Operation Iraqi Freedom on August 31, 2010 <ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/08/31/excerpts-president-barack-obamas-address-nation-end-combat-operations-ir President Barack Obama's Address to the Nation on the End of Combat Operations in Iraq]</ref> and ceased funding the War on Terror in 2009.<ref>[http://forums.officer.com/t116934/ Obama: War on Terror is over], Officer.com</ref>

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If the Reformation movement wins, that is, the moderate Muslims who believe that Islam can respect and tolerate other religions and live in peace with the rest of the world, and move out of the 10th century into the 21st, then the troubles in the Middle East will eventually fade away. A moderate and prosperous Middle East will emerge." (end of quote)

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What the West decided to do was help the Reformation side win. To do that the West had to fight the Inquisition, i.e., the Wahhabi movement, Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist movements. The battle had to happen somewhere, and since the West could not fight everywhere at once, '''the West chose to create a focal point for the battle, in Iraq'''. Mr Kraft went on to summarize what the West did and is doing which is important in Iraq, quote:

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What [[the West]] decided to do was help the Reformation side win. To do that the West had to fight the Inquisition, i.e., the Wahhabi movement, Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist movements. The battle had to happen somewhere, and since the West could not fight everywhere at once, '''the West chose to create a focal point for the battle, in Iraq'''. Mr Kraft went on to summarize what the West did and is doing which is important in Iraq, quote:

(1)'''We deposed Saddam Hussein'''. Although Saddam Hussein was not directly involved in 9/11, it is not disputed that Saddam had been actively supporting certain terrorist groups for decades. Saddam was a mass-murdering totalitarian dictator responsible for the deaths more than one million Iraqis and arguably for the as many as 400,000 Iraqis and Iranians who died in the [[Iran-Iraq War]].

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Former U.S. Attorney General in the [[Johnson Administration]], [[Ramsey Clark]], wrote the UN Security Council on July 29, 2002 claiming UN sanctions, "are the direct cause of the very cruel deaths of more than a million people" <ref>[http://www.radioislam.org/bush/act.htm Letter from Ramsey Clark to the U.N. Security Council members], 29 July 2002.</ref> [[Osama bin Laden]] cited this same figure in his 1998 Declaration of War Against the United States.<ref>https://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1998.html</ref> Liberal actor [[Sean Penn]] made the same false claim as bin Laden.<ref>http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2002/12/penn-d20.html</ref> However:

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*[http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4329469?uid=3739656&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101871211641 Amatzia Baram], Director of the Center for Iraq Studies at the University of Haifa, reported almost no difference in the rate of Iraq's population growth between 1977 and 1987 (35.8%) and between 1987 and 1997 (35.1%). The latter period also corresponds with the escalation of the war with Iran, genocide of the ~~Kurds~~, invasion of Kuwait, Gulf War, and 1991 massacres.

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*[http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4329469?uid=3739656&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101871211641 Amatzia Baram], Director of the Center for Iraq Studies at the University of Haifa, reported almost no difference in the rate of Iraq's population growth between 1977 and 1987 (35.8%) and between 1987 and 1997 (35.1%). The latter period also corresponds with the [[escalation]] of the [[war]] with [[Iran]], [[genocide]] of the [[Kurd]]s, invasion of [[Kuwait]], [[Gulf War]], and 1991 massacres.

*[http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/22/bill_clinton_loses_his_cool_in Bill Clinton] noted: "Before the sanctions, the year before the Gulf War—how much money did Iraq earn from oil? Answer: $16 billion. How much money did Iraq earn last year from oil? How much money did they get, cash on the barrel head, to Saddam Hussein? Answer: $19 billion, that he can use exclusively for food, for medicine, to develop his country. He’s got more money now, $3 billion a year more, than he had nine years ago. If any child is without food or medicine or a roof over his or her head in Iraq, it’s because he is claiming the sanctions are doing it and sticking it to his own children. We have worked like crazy to make sure that the embargo only applies to his ability to reconstitute his weapons system and his military state."

*The [http://www.fas.org/news/iraq/1999/09/iraq99.htm US State Department] has stated that Iraq was offered the Oil-for-Food Program in 1991 but that Iraq refused to accept it for years. In addition: "In Northern Iraq, where the UN administers humanitarian assistance, child mortality rates have fallen below pre-Gulf War levels. Now those Iraqi children are better off than before the war. Child mortality figures have more than doubled in the south and center of the country, where the Iraqi government—rather than the UN—controls the program. If a turn-around on child mortality can be made in the north, which is under the same sanctions as the rest of the country, there is no reason it cannot be done in the south and center. The fact of the matter is, however, that the government of Iraq does not share the international community's concern about the welfare of its people. Baghdad's refusal to cooperate with the oil-for-food program and its deliberate misuse of resources are cynical efforts to sacrifice the Iraqi people's welfare in order to bring an end to UN sanctions without complying with its obligations."

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Claim: Iraqis an international sponsor of terrorism.

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Reality: According to the latest edition of the State Department's "Patterns of Global Terrorism," Iraq sponsors several minor Palestinian groups, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). None of these carries out attacks against the United States. As a matter of fact, the MEK (an Iranian organization located in Iraq) has enjoyed broad congressional support over the years. According to last year's "Patterns of Global Terrorism," Iraq has not been involved in terrorist activity against the West since 1993-·the alleged attempt against former President Bush.

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Reality: According to the latest edition of the State Department's "Patterns of Global Terrorism," Iraq sponsors several minor Palestinian groups, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq ([[MEK]]), and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). None of these carries out attacks against the United States. As a matter of fact, the MEK (an Iranian organization located in Iraq) has enjoyed broad congressional support over the years. According to last year's "Patterns of Global Terrorism," Iraq has not been involved in terrorist activity against the West since 1993-·the alleged attempt against former President Bush.

Claim: Iraq tried to assassinate President Bush in 1993.

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Claim: Saddam Hussein will use weapons of mass destruction against us-he has already used them against his own people (the Kurds in 1988 in the village of Halabja).

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Reality: ~~Itis~~ far from certain that Iraq used chemical weapons against the Kurds. It may be accepted as conventional wisdom in these times, but back when it was first claimed, there was great skepticism. The evidence is far from conclusive. A 1990 study by the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College cast great doubts on the claim that Iraq used chemical weapons on the Kurds. Following are the two gassing incidents as described in the report: In September 1988, however-a month after the war (between Iran and Iraq) had ended-the State Department abruptly, and in what many viewed as a sensational manner, condemned Iraq for allegedly using chemicals against its Kurdish population. The incident cannot be understood without some background of Iraq's relations with the Kurds...throughout the war Iraq effectively faced two enemies –Iran and elements of its own Kurdish minority. Significant numbers of the Kurds had launched a revolt against Baghdad and in the process teamed up with Tehran. As soon as the war with Iran ended, Iraq announced its determination to crush the Kurdish insurrection. It sent Republican Guards to the Kurdish area, and in the course of the operation-according to the U.S. State Department-gas was used, with the result that numerous Kurdish civilians were killed. The Iraqi government denied that any such gassing had occurred. Nonetheless, Secretary of State Schultz stood by U.S. accusations, and the U.S. Congress, acting on its own, sought to impose economic sanctions on Baghdad as a violator of the Kurds 'human rights...'''.Having looked at all the evidence that was available to us, we find it impossible to confirm the State Department's claim that gas was used in this instance. To begin with, there were never any victims produced.''' International relief organizations who examined the Kurds-in Turkey where they had gone for asylum-failed to discover any. Nor were there ever any found inside Iraq. '''The claim rests solely on testimony of the Kurds who had crossed the border into Turkey, where they were interviewed by staffers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...''' It appears that in seeking to punish Iraq, the Congress was influenced by another incident that occurred five months earlier in another Iraqi-Kurdish city, Halabjah. In March 1988, the Kurds at Halabjah were bombarded with chemical weapons, producing many deaths. Photographs of the Kurdish victims were widely disseminated in the international media. Iraq was blamed for the Halabjah attack, even though it was subsequently brought out that Iran too had used chemicals in this operation and '''it seemed likely that it was the Iranian bombardment that had actually killed the Kurds...'''. Thus, in our view, the '''Congress acted more on the basis of emotionalism than factual information''', and without sufficient thought for the adverse which had been written by a Washington correspondent named Paul Quinn-Judge, although the story cited specific paragraphs from the C.I.A. assessment. The two major American newspapers had been driven by their sources to the other side of the debate. At the very least, the case against Iraq for the alleged bomb threat is not conclusive.

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Reality: It is far from certain that Iraq used chemical weapons against the Kurds. It may be accepted as conventional wisdom in these times, but back when it was first claimed, there was great skepticism. The evidence is far from conclusive. A 1990 study by the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College cast great doubts on the claim that Iraq used chemical weapons on the Kurds. Following are the two gassing incidents as described in the report: In September 1988, however-a month after the war (between Iran and Iraq) had ended-the State Department abruptly, and in what many viewed as a sensational manner, condemned Iraq for allegedly using chemicals against its Kurdish population. The incident cannot be understood without some background of Iraq's relations with the Kurds...throughout the war Iraq effectively faced two enemies –Iran and elements of its own Kurdish minority. Significant numbers of the Kurds had launched a revolt against Baghdad and in the process teamed up with Tehran. As soon as the war with Iran ended, Iraq announced its determination to crush the Kurdish insurrection. It sent Republican Guards to the Kurdish area, and in the course of the operation-according to the U.S. State Department-gas was used, with the result that numerous Kurdish civilians were killed. The Iraqi government denied that any such gassing had occurred. Nonetheless, Secretary of State Schultz stood by U.S. accusations, and the U.S. Congress, acting on its own, sought to impose economic sanctions on Baghdad as a violator of the Kurds 'human rights...'''.Having looked at all the evidence that was available to us, we find it impossible to confirm the State Department's claim that gas was used in this instance. To begin with, there were never any victims produced.''' International relief organizations who examined the Kurds-in Turkey where they had gone for asylum-failed to discover any. Nor were there ever any found inside Iraq. '''The claim rests solely on testimony of the Kurds who had crossed the border into Turkey, where they were interviewed by staffers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...''' It appears that in seeking to punish Iraq, the Congress was influenced by another incident that occurred five months earlier in another Iraqi-Kurdish city, Halabjah. In March 1988, the Kurds at Halabjah were bombarded with chemical weapons, producing many deaths. Photographs of the Kurdish victims were widely disseminated in the international media. Iraq was blamed for the Halabjah attack, even though it was subsequently brought out that Iran too had used chemicals in this operation and '''it seemed likely that it was the Iranian bombardment that had actually killed the Kurds...'''. Thus, in our view, the '''Congress acted more on the basis of emotionalism than factual information''', and without sufficient thought for the adverse which had been written by a Washington correspondent named Paul Quinn-Judge, although the story cited specific paragraphs from the C.I.A. assessment. The two major American newspapers had been driven by their sources to the other side of the debate. At the very least, the case against Iraq for the alleged bomb threat is not conclusive.

Claim: Saddam Hussein will use weapons of mass destruction against us-he has already used them against his own people (the Kurds in 1988 in the village of Halabja).

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After the removal of Saddam, Iraq saw the rise of sectarian violence initiated by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's [[Sunni]] dominated al-Qaeda in Iraq faction and the majority [[Shia]] population. The strategy was to disrupt Iraq's economy and make the new democratic state ungovernable as long as the U.S. presence continued. The de-Ba'athification process excluded many Sunnis from leadership in the new Iraq. Some Sunnis viewed the U.S. suspiciously for supporting the Shia majority. Though a minority, the Sunni have traditionally ruled Iraq since 1922 and view themselves entitled to continue the privilege of doing so. There are also some intractable Sunni whose interpretation of Muslim law says that the Shia are considered heretics, and thus not fit to lead the nation.

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Among the Shia majority, notably the [[Jaysh Al-Madhi]], is a militant faction who not only attacked Sunni Muslims but also American and other coalition troops even while the coalition was protecting the democratically elected Shia. Other Shia groups that have not attacked coalition forces have pursued their own factional aims while relying on the US to ensure Shia majority rule, instead of seeking unity and a cohesive representatively fair national political structure, which hampered progress and reconciliation efforts.<ref>Testimony of Edward N. Luttwak, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate , Hearings on [http://www.csis.org/media/csis/congress/ts070123luttwak.pdf Securing America's Interest in Iraq], retrieved March 21, 2007</ref>

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Among the Shia majority, notably the [[Jaysh Al-Madhi]], is a militant faction who not only attacked Sunni Muslims but also American and other coalition troops even while the coalition was protecting the democratically elected Shia. Other Shia groups that have not attacked coalition forces have pursued their own factional aims while relying on the US to ensure Shia majority rule, instead of seeking unity and a cohesive representatively fair national political structure, which hampered progress and reconciliation efforts.<ref>Testimony of [[Edward N. Luttwak]], Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate , Hearings on [http://www.csis.org/media/csis/congress/ts070123luttwak.pdf Securing America's Interest in Iraq], retrieved March 21, 2007</ref>

However, as reported on May 31, 2007, in the article "US Eyes Cease-Fires End Violence in Iraq" the No. 2 American commander, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, said he thought 80 percent of Iraqis — including Sunni insurgents and Shia militants — can reach reconciliation. "We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces. I believe there are elements that are irreconcilable, but I believe the large majority are. I believe about 80 percent are reconcilable, both [[Jaysh Al-Madhi]] as well as Sunni insurgents." <ref>http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/31/national/w114445D86.DTL</ref>

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At first, a majority of Iraqis believed these religious leaders. The alternative was difficult for them to believe—that foreigners have been unselfishly expending their own blood and treasure to help them. Some polls and incidents demonstrate to insurgents that Americans are out to rob Muslim Iraqis not only of their territory and oil, but also of their religion and even their family honor. The most visible effects of these sentiments were the deadly attacks, the aiding and abetting of such attacks, and celebration by impromptu crowds of spectators.

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Zarqawi and his successor, [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]], now known as Caliph Ibrahim deliberately targeted innocent civilians,<ref>http://www.globaljihad.net/view_page.asp?id=140</ref> Iraqi police or the new National Army.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20111211065625/http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/index.cfm?page=dua</ref> Local clerics and others routinely accused the Americans of being the attackers—usually by missile strikes that cleverly simulate car-bombs. As to why the Americans would want to kill Iraqis they are themselves recruiting, training, and paying, no explanation was offered, because no obligation was felt to unravel each and every sub-plot of the dark "Christian conspiracy" against Iraq, the Arab world, and Islam.<ref>Luttwak Testimony, [http://www.csis.org/media/csis/congress/ts070123luttwak.pdf Committee on Foreign Relations,] U.S. Senate, pgs. 6-7.</ref>

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Zarqawi and his successor, [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]], now known as Caliph Ibrahim deliberately targeted innocent civilians,<ref>http://www.globaljihad.net/view_page.asp?id=140</ref> Iraqi police or the new National Army.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20111211065625/http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/index.cfm?page=dua</ref> Local clerics and others routinely accused the Americans of being the attackers—usually by missile strikes that cleverly simulate car-bombs. As to why the Americans would want to kill Iraqis they are themselves recruiting, training, and paying, no explanation was offered, because no obligation was felt to unravel each and every sub-plot of the dark "Christian conspiracy" against Iraq, the Arab world, and Islam.<ref>[[Luttwak]] Testimony, [http://www.csis.org/media/csis/congress/ts070123luttwak.pdf Committee on Foreign Relations,] U.S. Senate, pgs. 6-7.</ref>

One key to the success which caused a drop in violence by 2008 <ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080216/ts_nm/iraq_dc</ref> was the willingness of the Sunnis to take back their country from ISIL led violence. In an article February 10, 2008 called, "U.S. Military Says Seized Docs Show Al Qaeda in Iraq Is Weakened" it states, "'''A diary and another document seized during U.S. raids show some Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders fear the terror group is crumbling, with many fighters defecting to American-backed neighborhood groups'''."

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Even concerning '''the Senate Intelligence Committee report issued June 5, 2008''', quote, "what did this report actually find? That '''Iraq-Al Qaeda links were ''"substantiated by intelligence information."'' The same goes for claims about Hussein's possession of biological and chemical weapons, as well as his alleged operation of a nuclear weapons program'''."

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The article contends that if Democrats wish to contend they were "misled" into war, they should vent their spleen at the CIA. It then asserts, "'''This may sound like ancient history, but it matters.''' After Sept. 11, President Bush did not want to risk allowing Hussein, who had twice invaded neighboring nations, murdered more than 1 million Iraqis and stood in violation of 16 U.N. Security Council resolutions, to remain in possession of what he believed were stocks of chemical and biological warheads and a nuclear weapons program. By glossing over this history, the Democrats' lies-led-to-war narrative provides false comfort in a world of significant dangers." <ref>https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-kirchick16-2008jun16,0,4808346.story</ref>

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The article contends that if Democrats wish to contend they were "misled" into war, they should vent their spleen at the CIA. It then asserts, "'''This may sound like ancient history, but it matters.''' After Sept. 11, President Bush did not want to risk allowing Hussein, who had twice invaded neighboring nations, murdered more than 1 million Iraqis and stood in violation of 16 U.N. Security Council resolutions, to remain in possession of what he believed were stocks of chemical and biological warheads and a nuclear weapons program. By glossing over this history, the Democrats' lies-led-to-war [[narrative]] provides false comfort in a world of significant dangers." <ref>https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-kirchick16-2008jun16,0,4808346.story</ref>

'''Washington Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt''' also brought out what Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee found in their June 5, 2008 report, saying, quote:

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*[[Iraq pullout]]

*[[Abu Ghraib prison]]

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*[[Paul Wolfowitz]]

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*[[Dick Cheney]]

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*[[Zalmay Khalilzad]]

==External links==

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[[Category:Veterans]]

[[Category:Joe Biden]]

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~~[[Category:Hillary Clinton]]~~

[[Category:Globalism]]

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[[Category:~~Neoconservatives~~]]

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[[Category:Government incompetence]]

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