Why are we still involved in the war in Iraq?
How is it (or ever was) a threat to Australia?
I'm interested to read what people think ...

There was/is no war, Foxy. What we have is an invasion. An illegal unsanctioned invasion.

The main reason we are in Iraq is to over throw an evil dictator who was an ever growing threat to the region and possibly the world.

Sure there are many ignorant people who have little or no grasp on the complicated world that we live in and if you ask them they will tell you we are only there to steal Iraqi oil. This is a fallacy because you can hardly steal something you pay hard currency for.

Basically we should have gotten rid of the dictator in Iraq a long time ago but as I am sure you are aware there are many problems in this would and we all wish would could fix them all at once but sadly its just not possible.

We didn’t get rid of Saddam in the 80’s because of the soviet union (bigger fish to fry) we did not get rid of him in the first gulf war because there was a lack of will (it was put in the too hard basket) finally we got somebody with balls like George W and also a trigger (9/11) and now we are getting on with business!

Sure it is not pretty but in the long run I think it will be the right option. Besides the number of children in Iraq who were dying from UN imposed sanctions makes the going on their today look quite peaceful.

“He estimated the most likely number of excess deaths among children under five years of age from 1990 through March 1998 to be 227,000.”

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/sanction/iraq1/sanclook.htm

You will never hear the anti American crowd quoting those figures! When you confront them with these figures they usually run out of the room or hide under the bed but still full of venom and criticism of the Iraq war.

Foxy people don’t like the Iraq war because 1. They hate America. 2. They have no grasp on international politics or 3. They are just left wing loons who are against anybody having a go at trying to make this world a better place.

Dear EasyTimes,

Thanks for all the information you gave me. I'm still in the learning process concerning this subject. I'm currently reading the book by Madeline Albright, "The Mighty & The Almighty." In it she tells us, and I quote, "Although U.S. policy has suffered numerous setbacks in Iraq, the administration still talks of 'victory.' In truth, the chance for the kind of clear-cut triumph achieved during the first Gulf War probably never existed. More than three years after the invasion, Iraq's future remains murky. Both in that country and in America, there is a sense that the coalition military - by its very presence - may be doing as much to unite and sustain the insurgency as to defeat it. Even training the Iraqi military and police could backfire if those forces do not give their loyalty to leaders who represent the whole country. There is a fine line, but a significant one, between creating a true national army and just teaching a lot of people who don't like each other how to use guns..."

Don't listen to EasyTimes pathetic arguments. Notice how he linked 9/11 to Iraq? That's an f-ing lie. EasyTimes has no concept of what a war crime is, nor an illegal war. His casual talk that suggests western states should be invading places they don't like around the world is an obscene sentiment. You also have idiots like Brendan Nelson suggesting it's ok to secure another sovereign nations oil by using force. As for Albright, take a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_QshS2EW8

> Foxy people don’t like the Iraq war because 1. They hate America. 2. They have no grasp on international politics or 3. They are just left wing loons who are against anybody having a go at trying to make this world a better place.

This simply can't pass without comment. It is absolutely disgraceful that you label your fellow Australians in this way, not least because it is simply wrong and deceitful, while suggesting that the USA should be put on some kind of pedestal to be worshipped.

I will respond to your points anyway

1. Australians are loyal to Australia and Australians, not the United States. They can hate whoever they damn well please. Conversley you seem to have a servile mentality toward the USA and that definitely has the mark of a traitor, not a patriot. If you want to whine about American 'prestige' like Howard, the Americans have destroyed it themselves through their corrupt foreign policy interventions and aggressions in other countries (assassinations, war crimes, abductions, torture ...all documented if you care to open your eyes and remove your nostalgic glasses).

2. What is this nonsense supposed to even mean? Perhaps by "international" you meant "our relationship with the United States" in which case you just demonstrate your servility.

3. How is this world a better place when a country is invaded based on lies, causing the displacement and killing of more Iraqis than Hussein's regime ever achieved? How is it safer to create a new generation of people who hate the West because their parents, brothers or sisters, or children were killed during the Iraq invasion, and subsequent occupation? "make this world a better place" What a sickening euphemism.

That last point btw merely underlines your ignorance. You have to be truly naive to presume this is about making the world "a better place". Not even children are that blind. War is peace is it.