Alternative Iraq

[muckefuck]

In his journal, fengi laments the dearth of mentions of the War in Iraq on this, the tenth anniversary of its commencement. I was going to let it slide because, frankly, I don't have anything interesting to say about it, and I doubt the majority of my flist do either. Most of the commentary I have seen is rather light on content, or focuses on the stateside effects of the war.

But there is one thing about which I wonder what opinions people have and that is: What do you think Iraq would look like today if the US and its allies had not invaded a decade ago? Who would be in power and with what sort of legitimacy? What would its domestic situation and foreign relations look like, who would be better off and who would be worse?

If someone has links to informed articles addressing this (whether you agree with their conclusions or not) please share them.

Comments

[arkanjil.livejournal.com]

The Atlantic has been posting big photo retrospectives in their In Focus section from 10 years gone, and it's harrowing to think of what all of those pictured went through since then. But as to what might have been? Who can say, through the haze of ethnic cleansing, atrocities, bombings, the trillions spent on no one really knows what, the atrocities on all sides- and the Arab Spring. What's done is done...

But to boil it down to the bitter marrow: I dont think there are many who'd say we are any safer now than we were back then.

[danthered.livejournal.com]

Well, certainly the long-term profits of Blackwater and Halliburton and that lot are "safer", i.e., fatter.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I dont think there are many who'd say we are any safer now than we were back then.

I think this would be safe to say regardless of whether the invasion had been carried out or not.

[arkanjil.livejournal.com]

That I'm not so sure of. Without the war deficit, our politics wouldn't be nearly so toxic, and without BushCos long term guns and butter lending spree, the whole global economy wouldn't have spiraled up and out quite so fast or fallen so far. Iran and N Korea could have been handled very differently by a less belligerent president, and right wing polititions in Israel wouldn't have been quite so emboldened. Given a less volitile oil market, Chavez and Putin wouldn't have had all the money they gained. The rise of the US security state would have probably been slowed, with any luck at all.


And so very many, many people around the world would have had far fewer reasons to despise and fear us. Alas.