Alternate history

[lapfog_1]

Suppose we hadn't invaded Iraq.

At some point, someone there would have taken a "shot" at killing Saddam.

So, minus the overwhelming destruction of infrastructure and 500,000 lives (+/-), would Iraq have ended up just like it is now (minus our troops)? Or would another Bathist strongman have asserted himself or even one of Saddam's sons (I think Uday was insane, so I doubt it would have been him).

Anyway, just wondering.

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. There might still be a civil war

But we would not be in the middle of it.

[lapfog_1]

2. So... why can't we just pretend that's what happened and let them

fight their civil war and we get the fuck outta there.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. Odds are...

another strongman would have taken over. There'd be a lot of dead people as he purged his opposition (not in the half million range, but in the thousands easily), and after a year it'd be the same as before with a different name.

Oh, if he 'behaved', we'd drop the sanctions and Iraq would be better off.

[baldguy]

4. Odds are another strongman WILL take over.

And some neocon in the future will want to be his partner.

[HawkerHurricane]

5. I won't bet against that.

Democracy is hard to start cold. America had a long tradition of settling things by group meetings before we set up a democracy.