"Genghis Khan, Napoleon, or Patton focusing above all else on not losing soldiers. Historically, officers are happy to use their men as cannon fodder if it will

"Genghis Khan, Napoleon, or Patton focusing above all else on not losing soldiers. Historically, officers are happy to use their men as cannon fodder if it will help them achieve their objectives" It is interesting that those three people were famous for being the first one in the battle fighting and risking their lives. I bet it will be different with generals today. "If their primary interest was oil, American diplomats would have told Saddam to grant exclusive contracts to select oil companies and he would have gladly complied in order to avoid invasion." Not really. American diplomats told Saddam to grant exclusive contract to US companies. What happened is that Saddam refused, he even started selling the oil in Euros in order to get European support, but did not. When USA invades a country and spends a trillion dollars on it, it is not Americans the ones who have to pay for it, thanks to the magic of the petrodollar, but the rest of the world. But Americans companies are those that benefit from the reconstruction effort. American oil companies are the ones who extract the oil. And the petrodollar system remains one year more, because if someone dares to go against the petrodollar(like Iran) sanctions are raised or their country is invaded.