Comments: Iraq’s referendum

A selection of comments sent to us in response to Scott Taylor’s editorial: Iraq’s referendum: a successful exercise?

It is amazing how we, the American people, never cared about all the wrongdoings of leaders in the mideast until we discovered their oil. And the creation of Israel.

It is hypocritical to invade a country because its “leader is evil” and to “free the poor Iraqi people” when most citizens in the US do not even care about the blacks who suffered (and continue to suffer) in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

When either Israel or the USA strikes Iran I believe everyone will be in for a major shock when they discovere that Iran still does indeed have a mutual defense pact with Russia. With the US army stretched thin, it should make for very exciting times.
Chris, US

If Iraq‘s constitutional referendum has only just been held, under what auspices Saddam Hussein is being tried?
Malcolm, Australia

Whether the recent election in Iraq is legitimate or not… It has opened the door to the international community to do political business with Iraq.
Susan Clone, US

Where are the facts to back the “100,000 plus” casualty claim in Iraq? I have not yet seen the information on which this figure, often circulated in anti-American media in Europe and the Middle East, is based.
Jon Soles, US

I agree. Who will stand accountable for the 100,000 (plus) Iraqi civilian casualties that resulted from this unjustifiable war? It is a dirty war.
Chia-hau, Taiwan

Whatever bumbling mistakes the US has made, Saddam brought this on himself. Overall, the Iraqis are glad we invaded Iraq and got rid of him even with the terrible cost they have been paying. They know that 10, 20 or 30 more years of rule by Saddam and/or his sons would have been impossible to deal with.
Dan Wye, US

The legitimacy of the reasoning for the invasion has already been discussed, addressed, and debated. 

I am sorry the author can not seem to comment on anything else besides the justification for the invasion. 

The invasion in and of itself reveals nothing about whether this recent election was free and fair. Just because the elections were set up by the US, does not make them undemocratic.  
Brett, US

M
y heart and prayers go out to the people of Iraq who lost their lives in this debacle of carnage. 

Do not they realise that when loved ones get bombed or shot, it only spawns the next generation of “terrorists”.
Strong Eagle Man, US

Although Saddam was a tyrant; he will no doubt be found guilty by the judges of the West in an unfair trial. 

Can the UK or the US make their leaders stand trial ? I think not. Or does any other country have to invade UK/US for them to then bring the West to account. Do you think the world will turn the same blind eye? I doubt.
David Selby, UK

“Can the US or UK make their leaders stand trial?”
The answer is yes. We have. In the US it is called impeachment, and it has happened several times to men who never came close to doing the things Saddam had done.
Shea Anakin, US 

Source: Al Jazeera