Garry:

“I am not so sure.
I really don’t think the US has ever or will ever care whether the new Iraqi regime is oppressive or nice to its people. All it really cares about is the price of oil. With enough damage due to the war and the need for a reasonable income and the complete rebuilding of its military any regime in Iraq will need to keep the oil flowing at quite a reasonable rate to attain such goals… which is all the US really needs. “

yes, i agree with u that the US is not really bothered wheather the new iraqi government is going to be nice or bad to its citizens as long as the oil keeps pumping. but after all the trouble they when through to take iraq, it would be very unlikely that they would install a governing systems that might aloow iraq to legitimately slip out of US hands again.

remember that while few in iraq truely supports saddam and many are greatful to the americans for driving him out of power, far more ppl will have plenty of reason to dislike or even hate the US. all those thousands of iraqi soilders the americans claimed to have killed would all have families who would most likely not appreciate the americans efforts in this war; nor would the thousands of civilan ‘colatral damage’ and their familiers look kindly at the US; finally, as time goes by and the iraqi population become better off and servival is not top of their priority list, nationlism will grow, and the ppl will like the US to stop dictating their country’s future (as is the case in all areas of former US influence, japan, philapians, Europe etc).

if the US installs a truely democratic government, then there is a substancial chance that an anti-US leader and government may take power. in which case the US would be absolutly powerless to stop iraq from slipping out of their grasp. after all, there is more need then supply of oil in the world, a country like a democratic iraq could sell its oil to other customers besides the US(UK, china, france, germany etc) and get everything it will ever need, from fresh water and grain to truely state of the art weapons.

apart from the stated risk of fighting a war only to have others reap the benefits, the US economy is not exactly the energiser bunny it used to be, and would benefit massively from a ‘gratitude price’ for their oil from iraq. (a few $s less per barrow then what everyone else is getting would give US products a significant edge when competing again those of other nations paying the full price for their oil). also, im sure the americans would not want to see many contracts going to french and russian companies to ‘punish’ them. only by keeping to tight leash on the new iraqi regeme could the US hope to achieve all this but the US just cant control a democraticly elected government as it can a ‘semi-democracy’.