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That would be an ideal outcome but oil rich nations don't traditionally pass the wealth down to the population. We haven't fundamentally solved any of the relig
by jsz0 17y ago
That would be an ideal outcome but oil rich nations don't traditionally pass the wealth down to the population. We haven't fundamentally solved any of the religious or sectarian conflicts however have improved security to stop the most obvious evidence of these conflicts. It's also very unclear what happens in a post-Malki Iraq or how the Iranian influence plays out -- or what happens when extremists rise to power via the democratic process. So ultimately I think we can reach a clean point in the near future to declare victory and leave the country in a better state than we found it but personally I don't see a future where significant US military forces aren't back in Iraq within the next decade. Politically I cannot imagine any situation short of spontaneous middle east peace that would justify this war even if the nation building project ends up being successful. A good parallel would probably be Vietnam. Public opinion has actually gotten worse about the Vietnam war over time even as Vietnam itself reconciled and prospered and the Soviet Union collapsed.
- miked 17y agoeven as Vietnam itself reconciled and prospered Per capita income is $2,900 / year (PPP). https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/... While they have recently begun freeing up their economy, that still is less than what some people reading this make in a week.