Quote:
Originally posted by Rob67
Why didn't we just annex Iraq in 91' and take over the oil fields then if that was our concern? I mean, all of our troops were right there, right? It would have made so much sense. Why? Because that wasn't our objectives then, and it isn't the objective now.
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I'm afraid I can't agree with that. It was because of Iran that we didn't take out Hussein in '91. Remember, he was our lapdog before he was our enemy.
http://www.idc-world-usa.com/importa...f-Hussein.aspx
"As a starting point for examining the bigger picture, ask yourself the following question: Who was the greatest threat to Middle Eastern peace before and immediately after Operation Desert Storm? Chances are you and almost everyone else will say Saddam Hussein's Iraq (but of course there are always a few odd-balls that will claim the U.S. was the greatest threat). However, contrary to popular opinion, the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East prior to and immediately after Operation Desert Storm was not Iraq but the Islamic fundamentalist government in Iran. At the time, Iran openly called for the destruction of Israel, and also advocated the overthrow of the governments of the moderate Arab states - such as Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia - and establishing in their place Islamic fundamentalist governments answering solely to Tehran. Please keep in mind that the Islamic fundamentalists we're talking about here are of the Shiite sect of Islam that is based in Iran and not the Sunni sect of Islam to which Al-Qaeda belongs and who has ties to Saudi Arabia. Iran's thirst for power and influence did not stop with the Arab states of the Middle East - it extended to all states with large Islamic populations including Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Afghanistan and the former Islamic Soviet Republics.
At that time, if Iran's military and economic growth continued and if it succeeded in seizing the majority of oil fields in the Middle East from its Arab neighbors; imagine the power it would have had over the entire Islamic world, to say nothing of the consequences for U.S. and world security. The growth of Iranian influence was a major factor in the development of U.S. policy towards Iraq immediately after Operation Desert Storm. There are also a lot of other factors that need to be considered if you really want to get an appreciation for the consequences of removing Saddam Hussein back in 1991."
Click the rest of the link for the article.