US Officially Ends War in Iraq

[AngelVivaldi]

(searched thread before posting)

World News - 'A new chapter': US officially ends Iraq war

"BAGHDAD -- U.S. forces formally ended their nine-year war in Iraq with a low-key flag ceremony in Baghdad on Thursday.
"After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the ceremony at Baghdad's still heavily fortified airport.
Vote: How would you describe the war in Iraq?
Almost 4,500 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lost their lives in the war that began with a "Shock and Awe" campaign of missiles pounding Baghdad and descended into sectarian strife and a surge in U.S. troop numbers.
U.S. soldiers lowered the flag of American forces in Iraq and slipped it into a camouflage-colored sleeve in a brief outdoor ceremony, symbolically ending the most unpopular U.S. military venture since the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 70s.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani were invited to the ceremony but did not attend.
In addition to the dead, the war left 32,000 Americans wounded and cost the U.S. more than $800 billion."

[Randy]

Though we'll probably never 'leave' completely.

[AngelVivaldi]

Originally Posted by Randy

Though we'll probably never 'leave' completely.

oh, just a minor detail.

[MaxOfMetal]

I hate to be the guy to inject something like this so early on in this thread, but it's what I immediately thought, sarcasm and all.

Family Guy - Democracy Kicks In - YouTube

[violent mouth]

The 'war' will never end, due to the money being made with weapons, oil & drugs...

[GuitaristOfHell]

Originally Posted by MaxOfMetal

I hate to be the guy to inject something like this so early on in this thread, but it's what I immediately thought, sarcasm and all.

Family Guy - Democracy Kicks In - YouTube

+ rep

[vampiregenocide]

Now where else can we invade...

[Razzy]

Originally Posted by vampiregenocide

Now where else can we invade...

I hear the Canadians have oil.

[Grand Moff Tim]

Originally Posted by violent mouth

The 'war' will never end, due to the money being made with weapons, oil & drugs...

The mumblings about how we're in Iraq for the oil have always amused me. Of all of the countries from which the US imports petroleum, Iraq currently ranks seventh. That's below such economic powerhouses as Nigeria, and right in between Colombia and Ecuador. The country that exports the most oil to the US, as Razzy suggested, is Canada. We import almost six times as much oil from Canada in comparison to Iraq. We get a whopping .04% of our petroleum imports from Iraq. Man, I can't imagine how we'd get on without them.

Linkage, if anyone is curious:

Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries

[murakami]

Originally Posted by Razzy

I hear the Canadians have oil.

dude, we have shit. we are rich in natural resources but are dumbass' government, congress etc... keep ....ing selling it off . sooner or later
canadian's land will be owned by some tycoon. it's bullshit.

[renzoip]

Originally Posted by Grand Moff Tim

The mumblings about how we're in Iraq for the oil have always amused me. Of all of the countries from which the US imports petroleum, Iraq currently ranks seventh. That's below such economic powerhouses as Nigeria, and right in between Colombia and Ecuador. The country that exports the most oil to the US, as Razzy suggested, is Canada. We import almost six times as much oil from Canada in comparison to Iraq. We get a whopping .04% of our petroleum imports from Iraq. Man, I can't imagine how we'd get on without them.

Linkage, if anyone is curious:

Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries

Well, oil probably wasn't the only reason for beginning the invasion of Iraq. I highly doubt that there is one single reason an invasion (and subsequent occupation) like this was carried out. However, that doesn't mean that oil played no role. Even if we export less oil from Iraq than from other countries, this doesn't mean that there cannot be plans to make Iraq a larger supplier of oil once the new regime is more in control of it's people and oil concessions can be made.

I would hope that eventually a truth commission is established to find out exactly why all of this tragedy had to happened. After 8 years of war, people are no longer so keen to believe that this was an act of benevolence, or an act of liberation rather than conquest. US democratic ambitions in the region are not so self evident anymore, specially after seeing Tunisia and Egypt liberate themselves from US backed dictators.

I really hope our government begins looking inwards more.

[Grand Moff Tim]

Originally Posted by renzoip

Well, oil probably wasn't the only reason for beginning the invasion of Iraq. I highly doubt that there is one single reason an invasion (and subsequent occupation) like this was carried out. However, that doesn't mean that oil played no role. Even if we export less oil from Iraq than from other countries, this doesn't mean that there cannot be plans to make Iraq a larger supplier of oil once the new regime is more in control of it's people and oil concessions can be made.

Of course, it'd be foolish of me to assume that oil played no part. I just think it played a near negligible part, especially next to the part so many people say it played (or parrot others having said it, rather). It'd obviously be something the Armed Forces would take into consideration before invading a country, because a country's resources have been something armies have considered before an invasion for as long as there have been military invasions.

[Krauthammer]

Originally Posted by renzoip

I would hope that eventually a truth commission is established .....

I think "truth" is too much of an alien concept for our elitist Gov't.

Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Lebanon; all inside only 20 years. Syria and Iran are next. Why does our Gov't (not our country) feel the need to create instability and destroy? So what if Iran gets/has nukes. I find it hard to believe that they would risk annihilation and launch an attack unprovoked, on the other side of the planet. North Korea even has that nasty shit, and now invasion is off the table. It would seem that nuclear tech protects your country from being ....ed with by the US Gov't, not invite an invasion.

[Stealthdjentstic]

Finally the Iraqi people have freedom, plus only 35% of the children there are now orphans, but hey at least they're free right?

[Goatchrist]

Stealth got it right...

Originally Posted by Stealthdjentstic

Finally the Iraqi people have freedom, plus only 35% of the children there are now orphans, but hey at least they're free right?

Just 35%?

Wow, that's great! Much better then in Vietnam!

[AySay]

Ahhhh the bittersweet relief the Iraqi people must feel...like when your rapist ejaculates.

[iamjosan]

Without an American presence overseas, it will be much easier for the Sunni and Shia to kill each other. Iran will attack Saudi Arabia pretty soon.

[skeels]

Mission accomplished!















Thank goodness!

[chronocide]

At least 104,000 civilians dead. Hearts and minds successfully won, eh?

[Treeunit212]

Originally Posted by Randy

Though we'll probably never 'leave' completely.

Exactly. We haven't even fully withdrawn from Germany yet.

Originally Posted by Grand Moff Tim

The mumblings about how we're in Iraq for the oil have always amused me. Of all of the countries from which the US imports petroleum, Iraq currently ranks seventh. That's below such economic powerhouses as Nigeria, and right in between Colombia and Ecuador. The country that exports the most oil to the US, as Razzy suggested, is Canada. We import almost six times as much oil from Canada in comparison to Iraq. We get a whopping .04% of our petroleum imports from Iraq. Man, I can't imagine how we'd get on without them.

Linkage, if anyone is curious:

Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries

I don't think it's as much a reason for the start of the war, but tensions with the Middle East as a whole are definitely centered around oil and other resources. The Nigerian Civil War was waged with Britain supporting the abusive government not because they were right in their cause, but because they wanted stable oil prices. The British government didn't care that their trading blockades were causing massive starvation and that the majority of the 200,000 deaths in the war on the Biafran side of things were from mal-nutrition. All they cared about was wiping out the Secessionists and keeping the Britain-friendly Fulani in power.

I guess what I'm saying is that there's probably an underlying politcal reason we decide to push our western values on Iraq and not another country being abused by a dictator.

[c4tze]

you cant just end a war ... (voice of boromir)

[Chickenhawk]

Originally Posted by iamjosan

Without an American presence overseas, it will be much easier for the Sunni and Shia to kill each other.

Yup. And you can expect to see that happening...right...about...now.

Iran will attack Saudi Arabia pretty soon.

Doubtful. Iran has a different agenda.

[brutalwizard]

i said this before were will most of these people work now?


i saw on the news that there was a job fair for returning soldiers here in idaho and like it made it seem like lots are facing unemployment

[AK DRAGON]

IIRC As part of the original promise, the US is suppose to be paid with oil. We told them we wouldn't do it for free. I have yet to see that we are actually getting our side of the bargin of 'being' paid with oil. Not to mention that you can't put a price on American and it's Allies lives

I don't agree with why we went over there in the first place (you know the WMD's and Saddam being himself). I've always supported our troops. We have almost been there 10 years. I would hope that the people appreciate the new beginings and benefits they now have. As well as hope for a better future for their country without bloodshed.

Despite the war being "officially" over. I'd say not by a longshot. We will have a base there for years to come. We are going to be a militarized police force for the Iraqi's to balance the power between the factions that love to murder each other. As someone else mentioned we have never left Germany. I'd hate to think that this is the begining to someone's master plan or that this is just a stepping stone for the US to poke IRAN with a sharp stick. Conspirisy theories anyone?

[Leec]

Originally Posted by Grand Moff Tim

The mumblings about how we're in Iraq for the oil have always amused me. Of all of the countries from which the US imports petroleum, Iraq currently ranks seventh. That's below such economic powerhouses as Nigeria, and right in between Colombia and Ecuador. The country that exports the most oil to the US, as Razzy suggested, is Canada. We import almost six times as much oil from Canada in comparison to Iraq. We get a whopping .04% of our petroleum imports from Iraq. Man, I can't imagine how we'd get on without them.

Linkage, if anyone is curious:

Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries

Yes, but the idea that the US campaign in Iraq was motivated by oil has nothing to do with how much is currently imported from there. The suggestion is that the US campaign was mounted help secure access to Iraq's oil reserves for the future.