Why we didn't invade Iraq--by George H W Bush--in 1998

earlpearl Well-Known Member

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#1

This article was written in Time magazine by G. Bush 41 and Brent Snowcroft.

Time mag removed a link to the article some time in the 2000's rolleyes: I wonder why)

"Why We Didn't Remove Saddam"

George Bush [Sr.] and Brent Scowcroft
Time (2 March 1998)

The end of effective Iraqi resistance came with a rapidity which surprised us all, and we were perhaps psychologically unprepared for the sudden transition from fighting to peacemaking. True to the guidelines we had established, when we had achieved our strategic objectives (ejecting Iraqi forces from Kuwait and eroding Saddam's threat to the region) we stopped the fighting. But the necessary limitations placed on our objectives, the fog of war, and the lack of "battleship Missouri" surrender unfortunately left unresolved problems, and new ones arose.

We were disappointed that Saddam's defeat did not break his hold on power, as many of our Arab allies had predicted and we had come to expect. President Bush repeatedly declared that the fate of Saddam Hussein was up to the Iraqi people. Occasionally, he indicated that removal of Saddam would be welcome, but for very practical reasons there was never a promise to aid an uprising. While we hoped that popular revolt or coup would topple Saddam, neither the U.S. nor the countries of the region wished to see the breakup of the Iraqi state. We were concerned about the long-term balance of power at the head of the Gulf. Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-cold war world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome.
We discussed at length forcing Saddam himself to accept the terms of Iraqi defeat at Safwan--just north of the Kuwait-Iraq border--and thus the responsibility and political consequences for the humiliation of such a devastating defeat. In the end, we asked ourselves what we would do if he refused. We concluded that we would be left with two options: continue the conflict until he backed down, or retreat from our demands. The latter would have sent a disastrous signal. The former would have split our Arab colleagues from the coalition and, de facto, forced us to change our objectives. Given those unpalatable choices, we allowed Saddam to avoid personal surrender and permitted him to send one of his generals. Perhaps we could have devised a system of selected punishment, such as air strikes on different military units, which would have proved a viable third option, but we had fulfilled our well-defined mission; Safwan was waiting.

As the conflict wound down, we felt a sense of urgency on the part of the coalition Arabs to get it over with and return to normal. This meant quickly withdrawing U.S. forces to an absolute minimum. Earlier there had been some concern in Arab ranks that once they allowed U.S. forces into the Middle East, we would be there to stay. Saddam's propaganda machine fanned these worries. Our prompt withdrawal helped cement our position with our Arab allies, who now trusted us far more than they ever had. We had come to their assistance in their time of need, asked nothing for ourselves, and left again when the job was done. Despite some criticism of our conduct of the war, the Israelis too had their faith in us solidified. We had shown our ability--and willingness--to intervene in the Middle East in a decisive way when our interests were challenged. We had also crippled the military capability of one of their most bitter enemies in the region. Our new credibility (coupled with Yasser Arafat's need to redeem his image after backing the wrong side in the war) had a quick and substantial payoff in the form of a Middle East peace conference in Madrid.

The Gulf War had far greater significance to the emerging post-cold war world than simply reversing Iraqi aggression and restoring Kuwait. Its magnitude and significance impelled us from the outset to extend our strategic vision beyond the crisis to the kind of precedent we should lay down for the future. From an American foreign-policymaking perspective, we sought to respond in a manner which would win broad domestic support and which could be applied universally to other crises. In international terms, we tried to establish a model for the use of force. First and foremost was the principle that aggression cannot pay. If we dealt properly with Iraq, that should go a long way toward dissuading future would-be aggressors. We also believed that the U.S. should not go it alone, that a multilateral approach was better. This was, in part, a practical matter. Mounting an effective military counter to Iraq's invasion required the backing and bases of Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.
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Senior Bush had wisdom that jr. seems to be lacking. Note the bold portion (my emphasis). Senior suggests we could still have been occupying Iraq 7 years after the gulf war.

I wish Jr. had been paying attention rather than partying and doing pretty much nothing for the first 35 years of his life.

earlpearl, Dec 19, 2006 IP

AGS Notable Member

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#2

earlpearl said: ↑

Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome.
Click to expand...

Great find earl.

Looks like Daddy-O Bush predicted the absolute fuck up 8 years before it was realized by his son.

AGS, Dec 19, 2006 IP

KLB Peon

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#3

Over the years I have come to respect Bush Sr. more and more and this letter shows why. This letter show how good of a diplomat he was and how well he understood the Middle East. I think history will treat him very well even though he was not popular at the time.

KLB, Dec 19, 2006 IP

earlpearl Well-Known Member

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#4

Pretty amazing, huh, AG?

Daddy should spank jr.

earlpearl, Dec 19, 2006 IP

Scheme Guest

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#5

Wow, this is so funny. What an idiot of a president America has.

Scheme, Dec 19, 2006 IP

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#6

earlpearl said: ↑

Pretty amazing, huh, AG?

Daddy should spank jr.
Click to expand...

They both need a damn good spanking buddy.

Barbara can spank both of them.

Scheme said:

Wow, this is so funny. What an idiot of a president America has.
Click to expand...

Indeed. He's not the smartest bloke in the world by a long long way.

AGS, Dec 19, 2006 IP

wmghori Well-Known Member

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#7

He should have listened to his daddy. Elders are wise, no doubt.

wmghori, Dec 19, 2006 IP

pingpong123 Well-Known Member

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#8

Bush junior was just a puppet of the military industrial elite. Daddy bush on the other hand was part of the military industrial elite. Higher up in the food chain but both were right even though bush senior was less wrong then his kid lol. If we really cared for iraq we wouldnt have turned a deaf ear when saddam was gassing kurds like there was no tomorrow.

pingpong123, Dec 21, 2006 IP

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Why we didn't invade Iraq--by George H W Bush--in 1998

earlpearl Well-Known Member

AGS Notable Member

KLB Peon

earlpearl Well-Known Member

Scheme Guest

AGS Notable Member

wmghori Well-Known Member

pingpong123 Well-Known Member

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