Until 2003, US policy toward Iraq had been determined by three main strategic goals: ensuring the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf, preventing any regional power from dominating the Gulf, and defending Israel. Jeb Sharp traces how Washington alternately shunned and cultivated Baghdad, and how US policy toward Iraq evolved after 9/11.
A small group of the hundreds of thousands of Iraq War veterans will be saluted by President Barack Obama at a state dinner at the White House on Wednesday night. But many veterans’ groups say we need a broader rally that allows all Americans to honor every Iraq War veterans.