In the years since, I transitioned back into civilian life, established a new career, and saw my kids grow up and escape the nest. During nearly all of that time, there were still American troops on the ground in Iraq.
I have a son serving in the military today. He has never been to Iraq, but I can absolutely sympathize with the Iraq veterans who came home from the war only to see their sons or daughters deploy to the same war zone.
If we accomplished anything, someone tell me what. We wasted over a trillion for nothing.
Now we can expect a civil war between Shiite and Suni factions.
But leaving is always the right thing when we never should have been there in the first place.
Still, since its 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US has held effective control of the country’s oil revenue dollars, giving Washington extraordinary leverage over Baghdad’s affairs, with implications for regional dynamics involving Iran
HOW DOES THE US CONTROL IRAQ’S OIL REVENUES?
This stems primarily from the management of Iraq’s oil income through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
After the 2003 invasion, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), led by the US, set up the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), held at the New York Fed, and designed to collect the oil revenues for use in reconstruction and development efforts.
The Fund also aimed to protect the Iraqi oil revenues from lawsuits and claims relating to Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Oil is Iraq’s most important revenue source, making up about 90% of the state budget.
Hey, we still have troops in New Jersey, and that one was over 250 years ago. Also in Germany, nearly a century later. Also near Antietem, from 150 years in the past.
More like $3 trillion, The Iraq War was $1trillion just in the first six years. What we accomplished was Cheney’s personal vendetta against Saddam.
Mission Accomplished was announced 23 years ago, May 1st 2003.
Lebanon
Libya
Iraq
Afghanistan
Syria
and now… Iran
The united states has been clueless in the middle east for the last 45 years