The Iraq War: What Happened?

Twitter: @YaBoiHakim

00:00 Introduction and Justifications
01:58 The Monetary Costs
02:52 American Costs
05:16 Economic, Social and Political Consequences
08:04 Positives?
10:10 Iraqi Costs (Negatives)
12:02 The Future and Conclusion

[YaBoiHakim]

Twitter: @YaBoiHakim
The human, economic, social and political costs of the Iraq war discussed. Lemme know what you think! <3

*Sources:*

[matthewmccamish]

Hakim teaching more about the Iraq war than the American school system ever did

[jordrider]

My middle school social studies teacher told me that the Iraq War would be over in a week. Ironically, he was a Vietnam War veteran.

[foca]

My girlfriend is fron Iraq. She told me stories about falling asleep to bomb being dropped and later seeing craters. It's a horrible feeling when you realize how stark the contrast in your lives has been.

[jakekaywell]

On a somewhat related note, the Humanitarian Daily Ration MREs that American forces would give out to local populations who were effectively made refugees in their own country were colored the same shade of yellow as their most commonly used type of *CLUSTER BOMB* . As such, when Iraqis would check airdrops expecting food, they were more likely than not blown up. U.S. military officials later changed the MRE packaging to a salmon color, but it still took two years to do.

[noahramsey]

My uncle got caught up in the post-9/11 nationalist hype and enlisted to fight in the Iraq war. He said he witnessed the flattening of villages, the destruction of lives, and use of child soldiers and immediately wanted out. then he joined the anti-war protests.

[phineas]

As an American the point about the Iraq war degrading public trust in American institutions I think is an underreported factor in how our cultural zeitgeist dictates that not a single american trusts the government.

[furiousTjr]

Not speaking out against the war as my country geared up for the invasion is one of my deepest regrets.

[derivative]

Hakim, I'm an Iraqi living abroad, I've lost every glimmer of hope that my country can recover and that I can go back there and rebuild it. I don't know how bad is it but everything I see economically, politically, culturally, everything looks bad. What can I do? is there something I can do?

[benhayfield]

I work in social care, one off the ppl I worked with was a lady with high level learning difficulties who's family were refugees from Iraq. Their house was bombed and the daughter badly burned - I cant even imagine the hell she and her family went through

[thestrangerofmountains]

Salaam Alaikum Hakim. Thanks for opening my eyes to the truth of the world. I'm a Kurd in northern Iraq BTW. Love your videos.

[mclovinjr]

The Iraqi people are some of the most kind and generous in the world. I spent a few weeks there last year, observing the religious period known as Arbaeen. There they freely give food, water and shelter to millions, and that’s tens of millions, of people who pass through the south of the country during that time. There is nothing but love and respect from a people who have suffered so much. May their pain and suffering be eased. Great video Hakim.

[Banana_Split_Cream_Buns]

This guy and his country suffered through horrific sanctions, imperialist war, civil war and occupation, and he's still thinking about others, even though we've suffered orders of magnitude less.

I get it. It's pragmatism too. If we can help the American people lead more complete, wholesome lives and inspire positive social, political and economic change in just that one country alone, we can only hope this will inspire true awareness and compassion from the people and the leaders of that country... and hence the rest of the world (especially people in countries like Iraq) will be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

[geraldmayo]

I'm disappointed you couldn't squeeze in the video of GWB getting shoes thrown at him. I think it's the perfect metaphor for the imminent decline of the American Empire.

[Dinaaomarr]

Im an iraqi kid living abroad but my dad was born in 1959 baghdad. He tells me stories about his life previously and remembers every stage and every war and the terrific effects it had on everyone, the future of iraq seems bleak and hopeless and the more i listen to his stories and learn about the history i feel like we were doomed from the start .the way britain divided middle eastern nation borders was made inequal on purpose. We were always doomed :(

[zingtea]

Even after Iraq, we still have American vets expecting respect and gratitude for the horror they inflicted. Inhuman scumbags. Never forget or forgive.

[cytosol]

please talk more about your country, its history and politics. solidarity from argentina

[TRD]

Thanks for the Video Hakim I was bullied in school cause of this war even though I am a Desi-American Pakistani. This war has been always apart of me because of me being a child in America in the early 2000s and see how U.S/West Imperialism atrocities were committed in Iraq and how I started to hate the U.S growing up cause of the Bulling got so bad and this war was one of the reasons why. What I find most stupid is the U.S media lied about the reasons to go to war like Saddam had nuclear weapons or to Counter terrorism which were lies to fool the world and see what was America really up to they wanted to take Saddam out cause he was selling his oil in euros and it was threating the Petro Doller and top of that they wanted Iraq's oil refineries and take out one of the 7 nations that they were going to take out in 5 years and establish hegemony and Commercial imperial growth for the Untied States Since the U.S is a global Economic Empire and own the world Economically by 75% I still have Friction with America to this day.

[ericcarabetta]

Can you imagine if we had spent that $14, 000, 000, 000, 000 on something productive? We could have built an intergalactic space fleet. Hell, the Starship Enterprise only cost $800B - $1T; we could've had 14 of them!

[MichelleHell]

I remember thinking the war was bs when I was 14 years old and watched "Operation Iraqi Freedom", and they bombed the electrical grids. I would have nightmares of my house being bombed in return, not realizing how imbalanced the powers were between the two countries.

I think a lot of us younger ones who watched this all are fed up. We see how the war on terror is an even broader reach of power than just Iraq. It gave the president huge leeway to do military operations anywhere in the world. It's like the US just stopped caring about optics and its imperialism is now so naked.

And Hakim, I must say, your analysis is so astute it's amazing. You're able to blend in with it the American perspective, like this shit ain't even good for you guys! We need international cooperative socialism or we'll keep letting the US ruling class destroy the world for greed.