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Originally Posted by Frank_Carbonni
I think the Communist dictatorship and the Soviet Invasion played at least as much of a role as the US funding the Mujaheddin. That's like saying the Soviets were responsible for America in Vietnam.
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You are mixing up two different things. If one asked "Why was Vietnam a mess in general?" then certainly no one would pin all responsibility on the Soviets. If, on the other hand, you asked "Why did Vietnam become Communist?" then it would be silly to pretend there was not a major Soviet role. Similarly, if the question you're asking is "How did Afghanistan and Iraq fall under the influence of Islamic fundamentalists?" it is silly to pretend there was not a major U.S. role in that--I would say a decisive role.
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Saddam is to blame for Iraq's sorry state. He took it upon himself to try and invade Iran. It should also be noted he was backed the US, the USSR, France, the UK, South Africa, and China at the time. Seeing as how he had the backing of both NATO and the Eastern Bloc, it's not something you can lay entirely on the US. Also, why did the US invade Iraq the first time around? Because innocent little Saddam decided to invade Kuwait and he ended up having a good portion of the world come over and kick his ass.
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Saddam's aggression and ambition did a lot to destroy his country, but it was in no danger of becoming ruled by Muslim fundamentalists before March 20, 2003. The invasion of Kuwait means nothing in particular to me--Kuwait apparently actually was stealing Iraq's oil--and anyway, wtf is Kuwait but lines on a map drawn by Europeans?