3. But the explanation of anti-war movement ("war for oil") doesn't quite make sense.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
4. Obviously Middle Eastern oil is important, but USA interest isn't so much controlling oil as maintaining hegemony region & access to oil.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
5. From point of view of maintaining regional hegemony in ME, Iraq war was a huge risk (as we've seen in aftermath).
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Replying to @HeerJeet
6. Fact is: USA had very strong grip on region before Iraq war, and war itself weakened USA's position in region.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
7. There's notion, articulated by Philip Weiss among others, that neo-cons & Israel drove agenda:http://mondoweiss.net/2015/05/facing-neocon-captivity …
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Replying to @HeerJeet
8. Again, this explanation doesn't work: neo-cons were junior members of GOP establishment. Rumsfeld, Cheney were in charge, not Wolfowitz
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Replying to @HeerJeet
9, Further, Israel under Sharon was dubious about Bush's Iraq adventure. Israel rightly saw Saddam as cowed & worried more about Iran.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
10. Uncertainty of causes can be seen in this post by the estimable
@joshtpm:http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/so-why-did-it-happen …1 reply 2 retweets 6 likes -
Replying to @HeerJeet
11. Marshall: "So why did they want to do it? At some level I think it had simply become an idee fixe for many of these people."
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Replying to @HeerJeet
12. To say it was an "idee fixe" is circular: they wanted to invade Iraq because they wanted to invade Iraq. Doesn't explain much.
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13. But "idee fixe" does get at obsessive nature of Iraq project. Let's step back and ask WHY it became an "idee fixe."
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Replying to @HeerJeet
14. 1991: USA victorious over Saddam, but dictator still in power, still defiant. This stuck in the craw of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
15. Norman Podhoretz described 1st Iraq war as coitus interruptus: it was unfinished business (sorry for glimpse of Podhoretz's idea of sex)
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