Hello Betsy,

Salaam asks a very good question: Is it worth it?

We had our colonies, were imperialists and then were ourselves occupied (I'm from what the US calls the Axis of Weasel and the Old Europe).
Among those who freed us from the occupants, were not only the US and UK, Canadian, Australian allies, but also soldiers from our own colonies. They sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
This explains why we acceeded to their wish for independance and also because Europe had other problems and because we had our experience of being occupied ourselves . That's why some imbedded journalists in Iraq reporting on armed US soldiers ordering entire families to get out of their home, all this in a language they couldn't undertand, was very upsetting. The children's eyes were expressing great fear. Something similar to what my father, uncle and grandparents experienced one morning at 05:00 AM during the WW2.

The Old Europe was against invading Iraq also because there is no way to predict what its outcome will be. If , as Salaam says, the US retreats before the job is done, it will be worse than before. He has a point. But when can the job be done? There will be thousands of different answers for it.

Regards

Raoul