If you could go back one month ago...

[Ryan]

And make a decision regarding this war, would you change your mind considering the events of the last three weeks? Obviously most of you who supported the war are even more supportive of it now, but I am just wondering from those who opposed it, whether or not you see what's happened as a positive or negative thing. More particularly, are the current benefits being reaped from the downfall of Saddam worth the risk of what could happen in the region in the coming months? Putting Bush's suspected motives and political feelings aside, what good and bad things do you predict will result from this campaign over, say, the next year? I am just interested in seeing whether many anti-war opinions were based of fear of the "what if's" or if they were based on true ideological opposition to this war, regardless of the outcome.

Discuss...

[Infrared]

That's a tough thing to say for me at the moment.

I've never been for this war, mainly because of the dodgy and ever changing motives our Administration had for doing it, and the lack of diplomacy that was shown on our part.

I agree with the the fact that Saddam is a royal bastard and I am not sad to see him or his regime gone in the least bit. I know there are lots of Iraqis that are happy and relieved, and that's definitely a good thing.

My only fear, and this is the reason why I fully can't answer this question, is that we will leave this country more fucked up, neglect our reconstruction duties, and in a couple years have a whole new tyrannical figure to throw bombs at. I pray that I'm wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if we half-assed this 'clean-up' job, causing loads of future problems with Iraq, the rest of the Middle East and the rest of the world.

We'll see!

[Hey Bubu]

Hmm I would still have the same feelings. I didn't like the way Bush and the rest of the government approached the whole Iraq thing, however Saddam is no saint and he needed to be brought down one way or another; and we are the only country capable of doing this now. All economic/political BS aside I'm glad our troops went there. I just wished the message had been clearer and not this BS comedy of, Terrorism, then WMD's then liberating IRAQ. But most people can't handle
the truth so oh well..

[The Real Rick Springfield]

i've said it before and i'll stick to this mindset:

BEFORE
opposed to the logic/reasoning for going in
opposed to being there

AFTER
still opposed to the logic/reasoning for going in
supportive of being there

i knew the iraqi people needed our help, i agreed taht saddam was bad and needed to be removed, but i feel that we set a dangerous precident for other countries to take advantage of when we went in without international support or agreement. what's to stop india from doing the same with pakistan or north korea doing the same to....well, to anybody...that guy's so crazy.

john

[Ryan]

So are you saying that the beneficial outcomes of the war do not necessarily justify the action on a moral level? For examply, is it morally correct to save your neighbor from a burning house because you know you will have the opportunity to pillage his safe while your inside? You may have just saved his life, but you have also selfishly exploited him in the process. I'm just asking these questions because I have seen a lot of fluctuation in opinion regarding this war lately and I must admit that I am also somewhat guilty of this. So I wonder if we are truly driven by fear or by a desire to do what is right. Sorry for the philisophical tangent...

[Ryan]

Originally posted by john_vella
i've said it before and i'll stick to this mindset:

BEFORE
opposed to the logic/reasoning for going in
opposed to being there

AFTER
still opposed to the logic/reasoning for going in
supportive of being there

i knew the iraqi people needed our help, i agreed taht saddam was bad and needed to be removed, but i feel that we set a dangerous precident for other countries to take advantage of when we went in without international support or agreement. what's to stop india from doing the same with pakistan or north korea doing the same to....well, to anybody...that guy's so crazy.

john

I think you express many of my sentiments. I think the outcome of removing Hussein's regime is a positive thing for the poeple of Iraq. However, I fear what may come out of this military action in the rest of the world.

So, is it safe to say that war should only be waged for genuninely "righteous" causes even if the result of an unjust war is a positive outcome?

[Adam D]

Originally posted by Ryan
And make a decision regarding this war, would you change your mind considering the events of the last three weeks?

No. I still don't agree with the reasoning behind it, it's still an unjust and illegal war, and I don't agree with the idea supported by the nazis that the ends justify the means.

Obviously most of you who supported the war are even more supportive of it now, but I am just wondering from those who opposed it, whether or not you see what's happened as a positive or negative thing.

I think it's obviously positive that Hussein is out of power, but I have serious doubts that the new regime will really be much better. The humanitarian crisis is much worse now than it was pre-bombing because of the disruption of aid, water, and electricity. Hopefully, the UN teams that are to be sent in later will remedy some of this situation. But just as in many of the Latin American countries which were plagued by civil war in the 80's, the nation's infrastructure has been virtually erradicated, and it will take more than a magic wand's wave to correct that.

More particularly, are the current benefits being reaped from the downfall of Saddam worth the risk of what could happen in the region in the coming months?

No. I think it will cause greater instability in the region, by both the political upheaval in Iraq and what will likely become another permanent fixture of US military and economic hegemony in the region. I think this will also increase the threat of terrorism, against our troops, our homeland, and the Palestineans.

Putting Bush's suspected motives and political feelings aside, what good and bad things do you predict will result from this campaign over, say, the next year?

Further justification for more armed conflicts, an increase in terrorism, perhaps a slight reduction in the price of oil, an oil pipeline of our own to control, perhaps running from iraq through Jordan and Israel (as discussions have been rumored on this topic), an increased level of violence in Israel...

I am just interested in seeing whether many anti-war opinions were based of fear of the "what if's" or if they were based on true ideological opposition to this war, regardless of the outcome.

Discuss...

It's still an illegal and unjust war, regardless of what happened, is happening, or will happen.

[The Real Rick Springfield]

Originally posted by Ryan
war should only be waged for genuninely "righteous" causes

not the word i would use...."supported" or "agreed upon" would be better. my thesaurus is WAY over there so i can't reach it for the right word.

my point is that if one country is allowed to say, "screw you, rest of the world, *i* know what's best here!" then what's to stop any other country from doing the same?

john

If I could go back one month ago....

I would put every dollar I have and could borrow and buy AMR at $.75 and sold at $4.00.

[per1sh]

i'm happy for the iraqi people in that they have been freed from saddam's rule, but i get the feeling that their freedom won't last long.

i am still against the war for the reason that iraq did not attack the united states, nor could it be proven that iraq posed a clear and present danger to the united states. unless of course you believe the never ending torrent of bullshit coming from the whitehouse.

[[aNNa]]

Originally posted by john_vella
i've said it before and i'll stick to this mindset:

BEFORE
opposed to the logic/reasoning for going in
opposed to being there

AFTER
still opposed to the logic/reasoning for going in
supportive of being there

i agree with john partly.

on the before i agree.
on the after i agree also
except for being supportive.

i'm all for ousting saddam hussein,
but i just don't have any faith in the
"goodness" of bush. i'm not sure if
we're saving those people at all.
even though liberation wasn't our intent
on going there in the first place,
we're going to take their oil and
then what? once the happiness
from having saddam hussein gone
wears off, the people are going to
start wondering about other things.