The great Neocon experiment failed. It is true, nobody can really say from all the reasons given what the original goal was to have achieved. But the Neocon Experiment brought unprecedented levels of incompetence to the US government and virtually bankrupted the USA. They told us about cakewalks and no-cost war and occupations and being loved for invading and killing off hundreds of thousands. Nothing they did advanced the interests of any but some private contractors and some industrialists. Nothing they did was paid for, except on the Bank of China credit card. And nothing they did made a single friend or ally for the USA. It is hard to imagine why anybody would want any return to Neocon government for the USA, except to assure the destruction of the USA.

I don't think the war served American interests, but Azoulay (an Obama groupie) misses the point. Bush had no choice. Saddam was a tool for fighting the Iranians while keeping the oil money in Saudi hands. When Saddam tried to get some of that money, Bush 1 slapped him down. A few years later Saddam tried to get that money again. The Americans had no choice but do what the Saudis told them to do. The attack on Iraq to get rid of Saddam was done because there was no other choice to protect Saudi Arabia. Obama's failure (as far as the US is concerned) is supporting Jihad for most of his term. It seems that he is now trying to reverse his failures.

It began wirth Clinton giving the Northkorenas their Nuclear ability. It proceded with Clinton in the failing Policy of Yugoslavia. The failure of Irak and Afghanistan is already known. And now the Total Failure of Obama with Libya. The US is a Total Looser and will Lose the whole of Eastasia as the whole of Middle East. A New Worldleader will take over the Worldscene - Yugoslavia read Serbia - http://www.ourchurch.com/member/e/e/index.php?p=1_10_Yugoslavia Revelation 6 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four living beings saying, "Come and see!" 2And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. Arn.Sweden.

I opposed the Iraq war for all the reasons mentioned in the article. You had to be blind not to see the outcome.

Do you think, Barakeh Hussein Obama's idea of transforming the whole Middle East into a medieval caliphate is better?

The American Left has never accepted the reality that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were sent to Syria before the Americans marched into Iraq. A wonderful book written by one of the Iraqi Generals who wasn't afraid to tell Saddam the truth relates this narrative. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know the truth. The brainless American university elite which chanted "Bush Lied, People Died" are deniers of reality. Any fool knows Saddam had WMD and used them on the Kurds. So shut up allready with your empty vapid arguments to the contrary. The extent of people stupidity really knows no limits!

"America eventually gets it right after doing everything else wrong" We'll fix Iran and the little black-eyed Ayatollah's asses after Obama is driven from office in November. With a real President, a leader, we'll remove Iran, the only remaining existential threat to the Middle East and the world.

And now, with Saddam dead and with a line of hostile states from Iran to Lebanon, the Israelis are left to drink the poisoned soup that the Israeli lobby had concocted by pushing for the war. Bon apetite!

Sadam Hussein was an enemy of Iran and kept it check. By removing him from power America destabilized not only Iraq, but emboldend Iran too. As Condolezza Rice said: " we'll establish a democratic regime in Iraq and it will spread over the the entire ME." Prophecy? Hardly.

neutralised for the next ten or so years and that is GOOD !!! The Sunni Arabs, mainly the Saudis and their allies are enough of a counterweight for Iran...The right policy in the Gulf region should have always been the dual containment policy, directed against Iraq and Iran...Iraq is contained by now and for the foreseeable future, NOW Iran has to be handled...!!!

such a huge defeat, i hope the republicans win in the next elections and they continue their stupid ways and plunge the US in another war, against iran this time and more US soldier would die and more economic difficulties for the american people and we can sit here watch and laugh our asses off...

...but the premise is correct: the Iraq war was a huge catastrophe. What's not mentioned is how it was Israel-loving neocons who were behind the war (one of the goals of the Iraq war was to take out a leader who had attacked Israel with scuds.) This is downplayed by mantras like "it was all for oil" or "he did it to prove himself to daddy." Then we get to this part of the article: "Now, the world is turning its attention to an even graver issue: The Iranian threat" Haha. Firstly, no, the "world" is not turning its attention to Iran. Instead it's just Israel and--because of our power via AIPAC--the US. Secondly, Iran is not a "graver threat" than Saddam's Iraq (which in the previous decades attacked Iran, Kuwait, the Kurds, and Israel.) And while Iraq in pre-invasion 2003 was somewhat contained, the French and Russians were pushing hard for sanctions to be lifted. If the invasion wouldn't have happened, today we could be faced with an Iraq with a rebuilt nuclear program and Saddam still in charge (and his insane sons after him.) It all stems from the can of worms opened by fighting the First Gulf War. At some time Saddam would have to be dealt with. Cynics need to realize there were only bad options in 2003, and the US picked the "least bad" of them--and it cost them thousands of lives and trillions of dollars. Bottom line: when we write articles to guilt the Americans to fight Iran for Israel's sake, we shouldn't first remind them of Iraq.

It is interesting that Iraq lesson was not learned in Egypt, Libya and Syria. Obama stubbed Mubarak, Kaddafi in their back and now he is doing the same to Assad. The West with Obama leadership seeks "democracy" in a crowd which does not understand civility. Israel has to understand that American stupidity requires from Israel a "peace process" which is totaly unrealistic given the moode of the winning radical Islamists. Moreover criticism of present Egyptian by Hillary Clinton fits the shallowness and stupidity of US leadership.

truth is america shot wrong horse in iraq instead of iran but none of the 'progressive' crtics would have done anything about either...if unrest spreads throughout region and iran regime changes who knows that the neocons were all wrong..of course a u.s. that's pro-jihad is a very unfortunate development for all

Most people could actually forsee this development already back in 2003. Most of the US's allies as well. But the White House wasn't interested in listening to these warnings. The result of the Iraqi war: USA is the looser, Iran is the winner. No surprise there. If only George W Bush hadn't been deaf. If only Obama had been in charge instead.

for that matter, when it comes to existential issues. They've proved it in the past and more than likely will prove it again in the fairly near future vis-a-vis Iran....come what may.

Very well- analized.....simple and straight to the points. Bravo!

but hardly factual. somehow, the entire myth of "lies about wmd" seems to conveniently forget that iraq sent a written reply to united nations security council, detailing their chemical and nuclear programmes. and hans blix submitted it on live television, to the un security council, along with his observations, as chief un inspector, on iraqi lack of complaince with the observation teams. that wasn't neo-con spin. and saddam hussein's reign of terror in iraq, which included attacking his own people with nerve gas, and torturing hundreds of people to death EACH WEEK, for decades, wasn't a bush family secret, and neither were the scuds that landed in israeli cities during the first gulf war. this piece of propaganda doesn't deserve to be published in a newspaper, and it certainly doesn't deserve the rubric of "analysis".

Barack Obama was critical of the Iraq war from its beginning. But when he became president in January 2009, he was handed a war that had already been won! The surge had succeeded! Al-Qaeda in Iraq had been routed, driven to a humiliating defeat by an Anbar Awakening of Sunnis fighting side-by-side with the infidel Americans! And perhaps even more remarkably, the Shiite militias had been taken down, with U.S. backing, by the forces of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki! The Sadr militias from Basra to Sadr City had been crushed! So, Why did The US Lose In Iraq? http://tinyurl.com/d9txbcm

Returning to a Caliphate would be impossible, even if that was being tried. The Sunnis are not in charge in Baghdad. Tunisia and Libya will likely have local rule, as will Egypt and Iraq and eventually Lebanon. There is little to unite the nationalism and independence movements.

Would the US have been involved in Iraq, with the loss of millions of Iraqis and nearly 5000 US citizen and trillion of treasure, if it was not for Israel and US allies trumpeting the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which never existed and never found. why not tell the truth and admit what is Israel contribution to this disastrous war

Careful. Your stupidity, blindness and prejudice is showing.

America got involved in Iraq because Iraq invade Kuwait with the intentions of capturing the oild fields, not because of Israel Any fool, including you, should be aware that anything that America does is for its own self interests, to protects its lines of supplies and resources from other countries Quite a bit of the money expended on Iraq was stolen by the Iraqi’s themselves, since like all Arab Governments, they are quite corrupt..How about naming an hones Government, Including the U.S., name just one!! How about you're telling the truth, tell us WHAT WAS ISRAELS CONTRIBUTION Facts required, times, dates & places, not your load of verbal manure

Never say never, especially since you have no experience in the Middle East, or for that matter in the other places you write about Yes, I know you were born in Japan, by that very fact you can claim expertise in Japanese folklore, Hari Kiri and cooking on the Hibashi, not to mention your expertise in making Sushi Wodern modes of transportation & communication, it is rather easy to tie various areas together Al Walaki in Yemen was in contact with Maj. Hassan, who he incited to carry out the Ft. Hood massace, as did Bin Ladin, who was in contact with many of his followers inother lands One thing I will say, your experience never ceases to underwhelm You must find it rather difficult talking from the seat of your pants

Nice reply and you hit the nail on the head. . The public doesn't seem to "want" to remember what Iraq was about in the first place. Saddam DID torture his own people (like Syria is doing today) & had WMD. If he had disposed of them before the invasion, he certainly would have, or SHOULD HAVE given them up at the point of invasion. Had he really been mindful of his own citizens, or even Israel (which he wasn't) then he DESERVED to be klicked out of power, just like Ghaddafi and all the other mullah stooges of the Apocalypse. We didn't and won't need Iraqs help with Iran..the US and Israel will take care of them in a time of our choosing. Thanks for your reply!

into 3 separate countries, one for Sunnis, one for Shia and one for Kurds. Having Kurdistan as a sovereign country will be a grave for Iran and good nice blow in Turks face. Nothing bad about this, Turks deserve this anyway. As far as Sunnis and Shia, let them fight each other as much as they want.

Sorry, I should have been more precise. Iran will try to create a new Persian empire under the rule of the Mullahs (including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the GCC countries) - and control a large part of the oil production of the world. Satellite states like Tunisia or Lybia will simply do what a nuclear armed Iran tells them to do.