Do you think Iraq is better off after US occupation?

tribeca_belle

A recent poll shows that Iraqis are very unhappy with life in Iraq and many would leave if they could. There are already large numbers of Iraqis in Syria and Jordan. 51 percent of Iraqis say it is acceptable to attack coalition forces.

Since the Iraqis did not cause the overthrow of Saddam, they blame the US and coalition forces for the conditions, which have worsened and for the lack of progress in reconstruction. Iraqis are still divided, however, by 48-52 percent, over whether the United States was right or wrong to invade in the spring of 2003.

clambacke

What pissed me of, is the thought of so much waist. Bush spend Trillions of our tax money to destroy a country, which was just one of 60 dictatorships around the world.
The result - more problems then before, for everybody and now all the other 59 dictators know, the USA can't even fight some insurgents successfully, which emboldens them..

With Saddam, they had their rhythm, similar like the east Germans under USSR occupation. People knew, what to expect. If you look at East Germany today, it just doesn't get anywhere. Young people leave and the old want the Communists back. Most people hate change.
Iraq is economically dead, since the war. It wasn't much better of before the war, but people had their place. Look at Cuba. People are poor, but most of them happy. They have to eat and live and party. Money is not the sole reason for happiness.

Mikey

Durr even the Iraqis want Saddam back lol - does that tell you something ?

fred

No. The Iraqi people claimed to hate Saddam but did nothing to get him out of power for 35 years. The US managed to do it in months and now our troops are being attacked. Why didn't the Iraqi people use their power to get Saddam out themselves?

Wolf_Warrior

That is a differing position. Iraq stile is very unstable and at least probably 1 person dies a day(just a guess) but the US has occupied Baghdad for 4 years now. But that's up for the president to decide. So many soldiers have been killed many people want the US occupation to seize and the troops come home.

Call me unpatriotic but I think we should end occupation.

Earl D

Unclear

We taken it from the hands of One Gang of Thugs that ruled violently and have turned it over to anywhere from three to a dozen different gangs of thugs that are trying to rule it with violence

When we leave and a Gang of Thugs with Syrian or Iranian backing tries to take over, we may regret taking Saddam out of power.

I can't see a democracy working there when the minority shoots at the government because they didn't win in the elections because they are in the minority!

Laughing Man Copycat

Nope...We are going to swap a greedy megalomaniac madman for democratically elected Theocracy that will align itself with Iran. Saddam was the only person in the Arabian Area that could keep the Iranian Shi'ite Revolution contained that's why they had a war to keep that in check.

Now Iran will gain a foot hold in Iraq including extra control in OPEC without firing a single bullet by just using the ballot box. Soon, that revolution will spread to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where those kings will fall just like the Shaw of Iran in the 70s. Sunnis will be persecuted and kept in check.

The Kurds will set up Kurdistan in Northern Iraq and Turkey will invade by justifying it by calling Kurdistan a terrorist state, plus the Northern Iraqi Oil fields are way too attractive. Lastly Iran and Hezbollah will have a physical land route to attack Israel on a regular basis. This plan was not thought out right.

Sean D

No, the Americans have unleashed a wave of violence that is tearing the country apart. Under Saddam people only had to put up with a crazed dictator now the country is in a much bigger mess. People have to put up with bloodthirsty American troops who kill, rape and torture anything that moves. They also have to put up with sectarian militias who are killing people on both sides of the Sunni/ Shia divide. Added to this foreign Islamic fundamentalists are using the conflict as an excuse to hit the Americans by sending weapons and men into Iraq. Iraq was bad under Saddam but now it is much worse. It is most likely that when the Americans leave the country will split into a Kurdish North, Sunni Centre and Shia South. Iran will have more influence in the region than ever before and the region will be even more unstable than it is now. The NeoCons are braindead morons who are actually responsible for creating an environment where terrorism can thrive and where American weaknesses are exposed, at the same time they the morons actually believe that they are getting rid of terrorism and making America stronger

maidin p

much worst. it has become a lawless land. we need not like Saddam, but the country was stable under him and people can continue their daily lives. Today, it looks like Iraq is the least habitable state. How to live in a place where going to the market is as bad as entering a war zone? You may be bombed anytime. So much hatred has been unleashed.The US war in Iraq has killed more people in the short 4 years than the decades during Saddam's rule. US has started what seems an irreversible factional war in Iraq. Why?

wtg_ib

yeah they think it is grate thousands dead for NOTHING

bustedsanta

what would you prefer a dictatorship or a civil war?

Curtis B

Women aren't being pulled off the street and raped by Saddam and his sons. People aren't being tortured and having limbs amputated for speaking out against the government. The people are getting food and medical supplies, and the oil reserves in their country are owned by the citizens of the country, not crazed despots.

warren_buffett_fan

Well now there's a civil war with car bombs going off all over the place every day, and terrorist groups and criminal gangs ruling the streets. That's a lot worse than it was even under Saddam. So no, Iraq is not better off.

Spartan Total Warrior

What I read according to that there is much more internal trouble post Saddam. Hope slowly it will become better. Spartan

Tuefelhunden

No, I think they were better when Saddam was in charge. Those were the good old days...mass executions, gang rapes, etc.

I miss those times

Andee...they did try to get him out of power in 1983. Remember? He killed hundreds in retaliation for their failed assassination attempt. Did you not watch his trial? That's what he was executed for.

Lilith

Basically, they've exchanged one evil for another. Saddam was a horrendous violater of human rights. However, the new democratic "government" will just vote in a nutty theocracy the first chance it gets and it will be back to square one. You can't make a theocratic society democratic. Their lack of logic always forbids it. Sad, really.

Vampire 13R

Ask the 5,000,000 refugees
Ask the Iraqi Christians, they have almost all fled
Ask the million or so killed or wounded

Iraq has become a killing field rivalling Pol Pot's Cambodia

keeperc

No. Because Iraqi people had their laws, they way they live, their believes and their culture, and after We went there life has changed for those people, that maybe not all us can make that difference but now you cannot even walk on the street because you feel that they are pointing you with a gun, basically the life is not safe anymore.

Musa-da-best

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!...
All the people of East thought saddam hussein was good and also that he was a president during the war. its law that not to kill presidents. America peice of sh** did.

jakadogpde

Iraq just had a large peaceful protest. Iraqis got to speak their minds and not be killed for it.

It's a long road, but they're already learning quickly how wonderful it is to be free.

Go Iraq!

The Enlightened One

no.... not yet anyways.

the area is still to unstable. If the us leaves right now, the whole region, not just Iraq will implode. The underground militias, and various religious sects will have the freedom to do as they please will little retribution.

naserq2

iraq is better off
1 )4 years of occupation and many areas had no electricity
or water
or even petrol
2 ) the percentage of unemployment
3)country is very poor income is very law
4)todays toll of iraqies killed where 200 while saddam was excuted for 148 killed after trials and courts
5)one would say that is muslims killing muslims
no america uk australians now in charge
it is the same as saddam was in charge
now bush is
airoplane shilling in side baghdad
6)western figures 665 000 iraqies innocents were killed in 4 years
7)iraqie figures 25 000 westerns are killed in iraq in the last four years
so what else
iraq is better
jordan has some attacks extention of iraqs war
syria unstable
iran stronger
saudia needs help

bryan_tannehill

It really depends who is being asked the question.

If you're Kurdish, things haven't changed very much since the invasion. They were basically autonomous since the end of the first Gulf War, and are still basically a semi-autonomous state. The level of violence is relatively low in Kurdish areas, but insurgents have disrupted their ability to export oil. SO things haven't changed much for them.

For Shiites, things have improved a little. They are in charge of the government, nad they are not suffering the same number of casualties they did under Saddam (~300,000 were killed by him in the 80's and early 90's) They were also used as cannon fodder during the Iran-Iraq war of the 80's. However, they have borne the brunt of al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent attacks, which are far more spectacular and public than Saddam's depradations. Shiites have the ability now to worship any way they want, freedom of expression, and the government's revenue is not reserved for Sunnis and cronies of Saddam. In some Shiite areas there is more eletrical power than before the war, but in areas around Baghdad there is less.

All in all, Shiites in general are a little better off than they we under Saddam.

For Sunni's the answer is clear cut. They are much worse off. Less power, they are being massacred by Shiitie militia death squads, they do not control the government, they have lost access to oil revenue and no longer skim the top off of all economic activity. They are no longer able to curry favor with top officials they way many associates of Saddam's regeime were. So, Sunnis are much worse off.

In terms of violent death toll per annum nationwide, it is about the same as it was under Saddam (350,000 killed under Saddam, 35,000 people a year dying violently now), except it is mostly Sunnis and Shiite Arabs being killed, instead of Shiites and Kurds like it was before.

So, the end equation is mixed. More freedom, less essential services (insurgents keep knocking them out), same level of violent death. You can draw your own conclusions on if this is an improvement or not.

Meerkats'R'Us

I think it's good that it is becoming a democracy now. It's also going to be able to get benefits it may not have been able to have before the United States began occupation of the country. This has also caused almost a civil war though too. It's pretty much a fifty-fifty thing. Iraq is better in some ways, but in other ways it's not.

N. Cognito

No one is truly qualified to answer that question except the Iraqis. If you can get them to stop demanding we leave long enough to ask them, you may get a meaningful answer.

crusty old fart

If there was an American occupation, there would be no Iraqi government and there would have been no election. The Iraqi PM has already stated that HIS government will take over the security of the nation by the end of 2007. our involvment is to train and support the Iraqi military and police in curbing the sectarian violence currently being carried out by extremist Sunni and Shia. This is compounded by the ongoing support for the extremists by Iran and Syria. The only ones who are willing to do anything about this is America, since we know that the UN Security Council were the conspirators behind the Oil For Food scam as well as sending war materiels to Saddam during a UN embargo.

Will victory be easy? Hell No!! Too many Americans suffer from terminal "drive thru window" syndrome and thought that defeating the radical islamic threat would be a walk in the park. More Americans know this is not the case. Our troops in Iraq and Afganistan recognized the threat and knew the risks when they courageously volunteered to be part of the effort to stop it. Meanwhile, little whiny asses who pretend they care about our troops echo the hollow whelps of "illegal war" or "Bush lied" and other pointless nonsense; or they support al Qaeda and its efforts to destroy America while hiding behind our Constitution to carry out their subversive agenda.

South Korea stands as an example of what can be achieved.

cybertoothedkat

I think Iraq will be better off if they seal off their borders from Syria and Iran. Then Iraq could rebuild and the U.S. forces could go home quicker. Iran is the problem, it wants to control Iraq and thus make itself more prominent in the Middle east.
Iranians are slaughtering innocent Iraqi people every day. Where is Jordan? Where is Saudi Arabia? Why aren't their armies helping to restore the peace? Where is the outrage in that part of the world when Iranian terrorists are killing innocent Iraqi citizens. Why don't the Iranians attack U.S troops instead of innocent Iraqi civilians. I don't think peace can ever be restored to that part of the world, until the people there truly get sick and tired of the bloodshed and decide enough is enough. There has been constant bloodshed in that part of the world since time began. The people there have become so numb to the violence and have accepted it as a way of life. I truly feel sadness for them all.
God Bless You....Peace.

dumb_snap08

OK, once again this is becoming a media problem. I've read a lot of answers that had to do with there's more car bombings and crap like that.... NO THERE ISN'T! Sorry, but the media likes to make these things that have been going on for centuries BIG things now, because we're over there. No, it is much better without Saddam.

Like one of the 1st answers said, he was responsible for one of the worst Genocides that the world has ever seen, aside from WWII.

Also, it wasn't just Bush that put us over there, remember, congress and senate both had to approve us to go there before war could have been declared.

And, the reason why Bush isn't stepping up and becoming the leader there is because of the fact that it was never the intent of the US to take over Iraq and become it's "Parent Country". There is no reason for that. Now that the tyrant S.O.B. is out of there, the Iraqi people are now allowed to be actual people and not just the slaves of Saddam.

amber a

hear it from an iraqi voice......
saddam was a dictator....who wants adictator, he killed millions of his own ppl........and left his nation starving.....so i dont think we want saddam back.......
but on the other hand...look at what iraq is going through now......you go out not knowing if u could get to work safley...........now is the time when they will say ...we want the old days back.....but then again...i dont think so..........i personnaly lost 5 family members coz of that bas tard...........so i think id rather have the us in iraq....but we all want them to leave as soon as possible ....hoping everything can turn OK..

Most Iraq says it's better now...

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