If we agree that Saddam was a threat, which I think we can to varying degrees, the bigger question is whether or not full on invasion was the best way to deal with it. I didn't think so and the results so far are not looking too good.

We had a good relationship with the Kurds, we could have moved to make them fully independent and F*** Turkey. That would have removed roughly half of Saddam's oil revenues from his monopoly stash. Iraqi Kurdistan is land locked, that would have been a problem, but not an insurmountable one IMO. Turkey is wanting all sorts of things from the west, we had leverage available to bring them in line.

And besides, Turkey's repression of their Kurdish minority has been way harsh, not that different from Saddam's. It would have been in their best interests to arrive at a better long term solution to the whole drawn out imbroglio.

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1984 300D, 138K