On September 12, 2001, Saddam Hussein vehemently denounced the attacks on 9/11. Only ten days later did he agree to allow UN inspectors back into to not only investigate but dismantle any "potential" NBC weapons. I have no idea what rationale the U.S. would have to invade at that point. Especially given that Saddam cracked down on the AQ elements in his country.
Dolan
Banned
But let's be fair here, if the US invaded Iraq early on in 2000s, Saddam's family would not rule Iraq until this day.
Today Uday Hussein ruled Iraq with his bloody fist, and everyone becomes partially blind to the Kurdish genocide, because the current Dictator of Iraq let US Oil Company working there after normalization of Iraqi relations with US and Israel in 2009
Today Uday Hussein ruled Iraq with his bloody fist, and everyone becomes partially blind to the Kurdish genocide, because the current Dictator of Iraq let US Oil Company working there after normalization of Iraqi relations with US and Israel in 2009
I think it was why dubya was regarded as worst president. Saddam agreed to dismantle any potential NBC weapons.. But it was revealed to be lie in 2010s when new secret facility for bioweapons was discovered. Despite Saddam cracked down on AQ, his dictatorship was just as bad.
Iraq would have put up a HUGE fight to defend Saddam, I’m thinking 5000 US dead and 50,000 wounded taking down Saddam, but afterwards once the US establishes an outpost of Democracy and Western Liberalism I would expect huge changes throughout the region to appease Liberal, Democratic, and Secular forces.
Iraq is on the verge of Civil War, Uday Hussein is more interested in drug use , is hedonistic lifestyle and killing his family members than ruling a country. It's only a matter of time till he is deposed or dies. He is already rumored to have had a liver transplant I don't want to think where we got the liver) his partying ways have not stopped. He looks like a strong man in his twenties in official photographs unofficially he does not look too good.
Uday has been a pretty good job at decimating his family, he is the only living male Hussein heir. The generals and politicians all secretly preparing for his eventual death, to say it is going to get ugly would be an understatement.
Uday has been a pretty good job at decimating his family, he is the only living male Hussein heir. The generals and politicians all secretly preparing for his eventual death, to say it is going to get ugly would be an understatement.
Saddam Hussein is the last person in the middle East that could be tied to Al Qaeda. If anyone did successfully invade Iraq, it would scarcely be around for long. Ethnoreligious tensions are already on edge IOTL. With the strongman out of the picture, Iraq would split in two (or three).
Vaporized
Banned
Saddam's rule would've not lasted another decade. If America does invade, there is never a civil war in Iraq following the Arab Spring after the regime fired on peaceful protestors Saddam and his sons wouldn't have been assassinated in 2013, and a military junta doesn't rule Iraq today. Minorities in Iraq would be much better off with him in control today.
If the invasion of Libya is any indicator things wouldn't work out very well. Ok, it was pretty inevitable after these wrath of god comments of Gaddafi on TV and the original amphibious assault and invasion worked like clockwork. I'll grant you as well that the insurgency was put under control fast enough. But Libya is still a mess to this day with civil war ongoing. Would Iraq be any different?
The circumstances were different as Libya's actions were pretty justified and probably more than hypothetical one on Iraq.they had worse border conflict with Egypt and it escalated into libyan invasion, just like back in 1973. It is comparing apples to oranges.
According to many there was a discussion of invading but VP Powell and his team prevailed over Rumsfeld and his side.
If Bush picks a different VP ??
If Bush picks a different VP ??
Maybe, but Bush's second choice for VP was Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton and a former SecDef. Cheney was a strident supporter of Bush 41's (misguided) decision not to march to Baghdad in '91. Even after 9/11, Cheney argued for relaxing sanctions on Iran(!).
With Cheney as VP, we might even get a more relaxed war on terror. Certainly no US overthrow of Gaddhafi in '02.
With Cheney as VP, we might even get a more relaxed war on terror. Certainly no US overthrow of Gaddhafi in '02.
Powell's flip-flopping is overstated. He was for invading Iraq before he was against it. Powell blamed Secretary of State Cheney for misleading him, but refuses to acknowledge his own support for the war.
It was the Democratic-majority Senate that shut down the Bush Administration's proposed Invasion of Iraq. Senators Kerry, Edwards, and Clinton grandstanded because of presidential ambitions. Kerry narrowly lost to Bush in 2004, while Edwards lost to Powell by a landslide in 2008. Clinton defeated President Powell in 2012 because of the failing economy.
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Afghanistan's closed border was one of the reasons why Osama bin-Laden was captured. A milk truck was discovered driving through a mountain passage into Pakistan, which led to bin-Laden's compound.
Had Iraq been invaded instead of Libya, I think the United States' foreign relations would have been severely strained. France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and other allies threatened to not join the Coalition. Erdoğan almost become Prime Minister of Turkey, and I think an Invasion of Iraq would have pushed him over the top. Whereas the US was able to justify invading Libya, it would not have been able to with Iraq, and the invading Coalition would not have been as large. Iran and Russia supported Gaddafi, but when it came to Iraq, Khatami offered to assist the US (before the 2002 State of the Union when Iran, Libya, and Iraq were labeled 'Enablers of Terrorism').
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Once General Shinseki (Army Chief of Staff) "accidentally" let his Iraq force memo become public, it pretty much doomed any chance of invading Iraq. The memo, for those of you who don't remember, stated that it would take on the order of 500,000 U.S. troops to proper secure and stabilize Iraq following combat operations. Once Congress and the public found out about this information, Bush was forced to publicly state that the U.S. focus would remain on Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, General Shinseki would b "retired" a few months later, but he's always stated that he had no regrets as to the outcome.
Unfortunately, General Shinseki would b "retired" a few months later, but he's always stated that he had no regrets as to the outcome.