Iraq War Looms Large in Debate on Iran Policy

The 2003 US invasion and occupation of Iraq led to a calamitous war with a huge death toll. The war was launched on lies pushed by the Bush Administration, claiming Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

The war in Iraq, and in particular the fact that the US was lied into that war, are informing the debate surrounding an ongoing US military buildup against Iraq’s neighbor, Iran. Many see disturbing parallels.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) was among several lawmakers to say they see such a parallel, with the Bush Administration rejecting IAEA intelligence on Iraq, and Trump rejecting IAEA intelligence on Iran and the nuclear deal.

Of course, the talk of a US war against Iran is built around its own, similarly dubious intelligence. The administration has built the narrative on building up against Iran on the grounds of Iranian “threats” against US troops in the region. The proper intelligence on the matter is largely secret, with classified briefings given to Congress only convincing those who already wanted the war.

Lack of public scrutiny of the case for war is being avoided by the administration insisting that they don’t really want war. At the same time, many fear that their continued buildup toward war means the US is about to be lied into another war.