Can we win the Iraq war? No, it doesn't appear that we can. Unfortunately, this seems to be an unwinnable war.
Why did we invade Iraq? Well, there are a number of reasons why. One of the main reasons though was because of fear. The United States feared that Iraq was or was becoming a home base for terrorists. Then, Bush told us that Saddam was seeking large quantities of uranium from Africa. Mixing uranium, terrorists, and Iraq together only increased our fear. Fear should never be a justifiable reason to invade another country. Even if the president of the country is a tyrant.
Another reason we invaded Iraq was because of pure rage. We were still incensed over 911, and we wanted justice or revenge. And a target for that rage. Unfortunately, our rage overpowered our common sense and this has led us to another Vietnam type of war. The death toll may not be as high as Vietnam's was, but don't forget about the injuries. There are thousands upon thousands of soldiers who have been injured through loss of limbs, burns, diseases; etc. And don't forget about the mental problems some of these soldiers will have to deal with. Very sad.
A third possible reason for invading Iraq is because of oil. Rumor has it that there could be quite a large amount of oil that has yet to be tapped in Iraq. If this is true, then it could explain why the Bush administration is so determined to win in Iraq. If the oil production in other parts of the world were to start slowing down, then having Iraq's oil under US control could be vital to maintaining our economy.
Why can't we win in Iraq? The people seem to be against us, for the most part. The Iraqi people probably feel that we are occupiers instead of saviors, and that they would be better off without us. Meanwhile, terrorists continue to spread their hatred across the country.
This hatred continues to slowly infect the populace until the majority begin to believe in it. This is not to say that progress has not been made in some areas, but overall it is unlikely to be enough. Also, the terrorists are using gorilla style warfare techniques, which are extremely difficult to counter. And they're zealots. Zealots who are not afraid to die always present an arduous challenge.
What if Saddam had been left in power? From what has been written, Saddam was very brutal in his tactics to control the populace. If he had been left in power, the Middle East today would probably be a bit more stable. We would still have Afghanistan to worry about, but that could have been managed better. Also, many countries around the world did not agree with invading Iraq. Due to this war, the United States has alienated itself from much of the world and many of our allies.
If Saddam had been left in power then the Iraqi people would still be suffering under his dictatorship, but the United States would not be there fighting a war we seemingly can't win. And there are many other parts of the world (like North Korea) that have cruel dictators that are in power. Do we want to declare war on all of these countries as well? I don't think so. The people that suffer under cruel dictators must rise up on their own, or they will never escape their fate.
While progress has and will be made in Iraq, it is unlikely to be enough. In the end, this country will probably go back to a dictatorship style of government or a religious one. Which is a shame, due to all of the sacrifices the soldiers made (and not just US soldiers). The United States has been mislead in this war, and the cost has been primarily to the soldiers and their families. It truly is a sad state of affairs.
References:
http://peakenergy.blogspot.com/20 05/06/how-much-oil-does-iraq-have.html http://icasualties.org/oif/ http://www.unknownnews.net/casualties.html http://www.iraqinews.com/