Reply #14: It's more than that. The leadership needs Iraq as a military platform to exert influence. [View All]

[Selatius]

Iraq is located in the heart of the Middle East. With Iraq under occupation, the country essentially becomes a gigantic aircraft carrier or military base from which we can project military power into the surrounding region at will at any time the leadership wishes. We no longer must solely rely on Israel to keep the Arabs distracted. With Iraq as a platform, the leadership can further entrench American corporate influence in the region and have a stronger hand in blocking out Chinese, Indian, European, and Russian aspirations in this corner of the world. As it stands, China and Russia have been cutting oil and natural gas deals with Iran, and as it currently stands, we now have troops to the east and to the west of that country.

If stupidity has any say in the matter, someone someday will miscalculate the situation with Iran and attempt to once again interfere in the internal workings of Iran, which could backfire catastrophically in the form of a region-wide war between Arab states under American influence and the government and people of Iran. This is something that should be avoided.