The Iraq venture makes sense under those conditions. I believe parallels can be made between the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan with the European occupations of North and South America. And under the rules of the eariler times, where might made right, it was legitimate. More modern examples are the Japanese expansion which started WWII and the German aggressions in WWII.

It all cases it was to plunder whatever resources could be found. Imperialism, colonialization were the norm.

The US has been messing with Iran for a long, long time in order to control her oil. The revolt against the Shah threatened that control, and there has been a covert war ever since. It's no accident that Afghanistan and Iraq bracket Iran. Colonialization can be economic rather than physical, as in "globalization". The World Bank funds that quite effectively.

Some of us contend that morality is a factor in these more enlightened days. Slavery, for instance, is illegal though the US came late to that party. And along those lines one could say that even if modern-day imperialism were justified, the way it was gone about should be as humane as possible.

Arf