For humanity, of course it is. For the dead, the disabled, the haunted, the homeless, the shattered families, the broken lives: a disaster. And if for some reason you believed the intent of the invasion was to find weapons of mass destruction, or to spread democracy, or to combat terrorism, then yes, the war is a disaster on that level, too. But you didn't really believe that, did you?
When you consider the actual, but unstated, goals of the invasion - and when you consider them in historical terms of other US invasions - the occupation of Iraq has been a spectacular success.
Some weeks ago, James sent me this excellent post from Business Pundit: The 25 Most Vicious Iraq War Profiteers. It begins:
The Iraq war is many things to different people. It is called a strategic blunder and a monstrous injustice and sometimes even a patriotic mission, much to the chagrin of rational human beings. For many big companies, however, the war is something far different: a lucrative cash-cow. The years-long, ongoing military effort has resurrected fears of the so-called "military-industrial complex." Media pundits are outraged at private companies scooping up huge, no-questions-asked contracts to manufacture weapons, rebuild infrastructure, or anything else the government deems necessary to win (or plant its flag in Iraq). No matter what your stance on the war, it pays to know where your tax dollars are being spent.
Following is a detailed rundown of the 25 companies squeezing the most profit from this controversial conflict.
I take exception to the phrase "media pundits are outraged at private companies...". I haven't seen a lot of outrage in the media. Regardless, this is a great little primer. Go here to read the list.
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