"Extending the war into Iraq would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Exceeding the UN's mandate would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the US could still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
From "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam" by George Bush Sr and Brent Scowcroft, Time Magazine, 1998
Some questions came to my mind! Did the United States "exceed UN's mandate" by invading Iraq? Is it fair if we say that "other allies" supported the war in Iraq? Isn't US an "occupying power" in Iraq right now? Is "human cost of Iraq war" calculable?
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