this is the main reason that U.S. invaded Iraq (Iran, Palestinians)

[Angorlee]

I really believe that this is the main reason but there also may be other reasons.

Saddam Hussein has distributed $260,000 to 26 families of Palestinians killed in 29 months of fighting with Israel, including a $10,000 check to the family of a Hamas suicide bomber.

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[Pruzhany]

Iraq supplied much more than $260k. He supplied enough money to make Arafat a Billionaire. The US already knew he wasn't trustable when he murdered nearly 100,000 non-combatants in Northern Iraq. His attack on Kuwait was basically a test run for a larger attack on Saudia Arabia. And with the chatter on the impending attack on SA, is probably why he needed to be taken out rather the cover story of WMDs.

[RememberMee]

Yup, the guy looks perfectly evil.


The U.S., having decided that an Iranian victory would not serve its interests, began supporting Iraq: measures already underway to upgrade U.S.-Iraq relations were accelerated, high-level officials exchanged visits, and in February 1982 the State Department removed Iraq from its list of states supporting international terrorism. (It had been included several years earlier because of ties with several Palestinian nationalist groups, not Islamicists sharing the worldview of al-Qaeda. Activism by Iraq's main Shiite Islamicist opposition group, al-Dawa, was a major factor precipitating the war -- stirred by Iran's Islamic revolution, its endeavors included the attempted assassination of Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz.) Prolonging the war was phenomenally expensive. Iraq received massive external financial support from the Gulf states, and assistance through loan programs from the U.S. The White House and State Department pressured the Export-Import Bank to provide Iraq with financing, to enhance its credit standing and enable it to obtain loans from other international financial institutions. The U.S. Agriculture Department provided taxpayer-guaranteed loans for purchases of American commodities, to the satisfaction of U.S. grain exporters.
The U.S. restored formal relations with Iraq in November 1984, but the U.S. had begun, several years earlier, to provide it with intelligence and military support (in secret and contrary to this country's official neutrality) in accordance with policy directives from President Ronald Reagan. These were prepared pursuant to his March 1982 National Security Study Memorandum (NSSM 4-82) asking for a review of U.S. policy toward the Middle East.

[Chava61]

The USA invaded Iraq because of oil.

[burdell]

Originally Posted by Chava61

The USA invaded Iraq because of oil.

Really?

How many barrels have we gained that weren't availacle through other means?

How much did we pay for those barrels?

[Icy Tea]

Oil.

[itlltickleurinnerds]

The reason we invaded Iraq was to keep Saddam from taking oil off the dollar and on to the euro for trading. It would have disrupted our dollar and if others followed it could have collapsed our currency.

[burdell]

Originally Posted by itlltickleurinnerds

The reason we invaded Iraq was to keep Saddam from taking oil off the dollar and on to the euro for trading. It would have disrupted our dollar and if others followed it could have collapsed our currency.

Given how often the alleged economic whiz-bangs are just plain wrong, why should we take that as gospel?

Don't forget, the so-called experts told us the world as we knew it would end if South Vietnam went communist, now we trade with them.

[BentBow]

It was a Bush vendetta, for trying to assassinate his dad, HW.

[Swingblade]

Originally Posted by burdell

Really?

How many barrels have we gained that weren't availacle through other means?

How much did we pay for those barrels?

Do not know the answer to your question but it is common knowledge the U S , U K , and China companies are the ones over there drilling. Makes sense the U S and the U K had troops and spent money and China helped bankroll the U S by buying treasuries.


China starts oil pumping in Iraq - Washington Times

The four giant firms located in the US and the UK have been keen to get back into Iraq, from which they were excluded with the nationalization of 1972. They face companies from France, Russia, China, Japan and elsewhere, who already have major concessions. But in the post-war setting, with Washington running the show, the US-UK companies expect eventually to overcome their rivals and gain the most lucrative oil deals that will be worth hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars in profits in the coming decades." Global Policy Forum.

I think there is not just one reason but many of why we went to war with Iraq and oil would be one of them and the other big one Saddam selling oil in euros instead of USD.