Journal: My feelings about the war going on in Iraq

Well, I have been giving this alot of thought lately so I thought it'd be nice to take some notes. First of all, I think the diplomacy by the Bush administration is some of the worst by an American government in recent memory. I also have serious doubts about his advisors as several of them, including Dick Cheney, wrote a paper some years ago encouraging the Bush I administration to pre-emptively attack Iraq.

I also feel that the economic sanctions that were applied to Iraq over the past decade were a HUGE mistake, just as it was in Yugoslavia. Sanctions just crush the people while boosting the position of the dictator and encourages organized crime. I really hope the US reconsiders sanctioning N. Korea as it will almost certainly directly lead to a very deadly war.

On the other hand, now that our forces are in Iraq, I don't see how they can possibly just retreat. If they do, I'm sure Hussein will order the executions/torture of many of the troops who so quickly surrendered (not to mention that citizen who helped tear down one of the paintings of Hussein) and probably persecute their families as well (again). I also strongly doubt that the Iraqi people will ever overthrough Hussein. They may overthrow his successor, but I'm sure it would be a very bloody endeavor. Also, the US and UK can't possibly indefinitely enforce the no-fly zones in Iraq, so something needs to be done at some point.

So, for now, I'm hopeful that this war will come to a quick conclusion with minimal resistance and the deaths/captures of Hussein and his 2 sons.