WI Alt-Iraq War

What if, lets say, instead of Bush invading Iraq entire, the US just takes off the bottom and top halves: Kurdistan and the Shitte-Basra south and makes them independent? Instead of having to go in and tango with all of Baghdad, and generally just defeating Saddam's army, and pretty much destroying all "weapons of mass destruction"?
 
That implies actual planning of the war by the Bush Administration, something they couldnt do as either they lacked sufficient intelligence to do so, or were simply deluded. In this scenario, would the US Army have withdrawn sooner?

That does not really answer my question, and is simple opinion based on certain dislike toward the Bush Admin.
 
While the reason is unknown, reports from those involved in the first year of the occupation states that everything was badly planned, and that the few plans they had weren't even acted upon. Basically, they could have done a much better job.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the bush regime is incompetent.
 
What if, lets say, instead of Bush invading Iraq entire, the US just takes off the bottom and top halves: Kurdistan and the Shitte-Basra south and makes them independent? Instead of having to go in and tango with all of Baghdad, and generally just defeating Saddam's army, and pretty much destroying all "weapons of mass destruction"?

I think you are going to have to find some sort of justification for this. I suspect International Law isn't going to support such an idea.
 
I think you are going to have to find some sort of justification for this. I suspect International Law isn't going to support such an idea.


I'm not trying to be controversial - I don't really know the answer to this - but did International Law actually support OTL's invasion?
 
I'm not trying to be controversial - I don't really know the answer to this - but did International Law actually support OTL's invasion?

I think it depends who you listen to :) Avoiding controversy, I think there were UN resolutions that might of (I'll let someone else clarify this).

I think it would be very hard for the USA to justify an invasion that leads to this sort of outcome-other than on a 'because we can' basis.
 
well, first, an independent Kurdistan would peeve Turkey a lot.... and Iran probably couldn't resist playing games with the Shia section.... and I don't see how you're going to get either of those without going in and destroying the Iraqi army and deposing Saddam anyway....
 
The baghdad state isn't going to let go of Shia south (Basra) and Kurdistan without a hell of a fight because Kurdistan and Basra have the majority of the oil. Basra would also have the Sea Access, something Sadam went to war for before (access to more coast was a role in the Kuwait invasion albiet not a huge one). Then of course the Kurds would probably want to annex or do some form of integration with SE Turkey and the Kurds there. Who knows what Iran would do with Basra, anexation, puppet state, something else, etc.
 
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