Please don't take the brevity of this post as ignoring your questions, I just don't have the time right now to compile a fully informative and thoughtful post. Hopefully someone else will come and do that.
What I came here to point out, though, is that the Iraq war is closely tied to our economy, and it's difficult to separate the two issues. The amount of money we've spent and are continuing to spend in Iraq could have gone to
countless other programs which would have more directly benefitted the country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...111600865.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle3419840.ece