Who do you think is responsible for our failure in Iraq?

I believe that our commanders did a job that is incredibly difficult, and I applaud them all. When we realize that the western mind (ours) finds it baffling to even consider how the middle eastern mind functions, that may temper how critical we may be towards our commanders for the job they did. After all, we avoid death and injury (for obvious reasons). And we love our families. They run TO death and injury. How do we mentally process such a mind? They cannot love their families the same way we do. God help me if I ever strap bombs to my wife or children for any reason at all. EVER.

I just saw yesterday on the news that ISIS has training camps for young boys age 8-12 (or so). Full camouflage. Bandana headwrap with (Arabic?) writing on it. And hate on their faces. We may be able to eliminate the men in charge now, but the next generation is already in place. Even though they are minors right now, they have already been taught to hate. When they are grown and can act on that hate, with a gun in their hands.... *shudders*

Everyone involved from the Lowest Soldier to the highest governments. It took one of my students when I was teaching WLC to really open my eyes to it. A student said he was in the first push into Iraq and every one laughed at hearts and minds. So piss bottles, shitty treat meant to the civilian population, pork MREs etc given out... then in 2013 he was heading back. The same kids everyone made fun of, threatened, or did anything wrong now was of age to shoot back.

If the tables were turned and some Russian Soldiers made your dad crawl through their piss to get muddy, what we/you do? Kill as many as possible that's what.

Now it isn't all the Soldiers fault, we could and should have been more Professional, not like the British occupy a patriots house during the Revolutionary war. Our leadership, the thing that also took many Soldiers lives is the ability to not care about Right Seat Rides. Oh this unit was guard, oh this unit was mech, oh this unit... and with in a week that company, battalion or BDE lost Soldiers right off the bat.

The unit who replaced us only wanted one ride with us and then to take over operations and be hardcore (I was even active duty then) and found a friendly MP check point and started shooting at them. The MP point thought it was enemy and engaged. In that failure they lost 2 guys. This is a straight failure on the chain of command.

Third, our government for thinking the Iraqi government could advance quickly. These people live as if it was 1 AD, sure some had basic amenities but they are a tribal people. The whole planning phase was if we took over a 1st world country.

Fourth, government contracts. SO much money was spent on what? Really, we broke the bank and kept going for stock brokers and CEOs to get rich.....

This war wasn't one with clear mission, commanders intent, nor the ability to execute.

Those who served there never failed. The "deciders" who sent them there in the first place did! First being misguided and untruthful about why troops should be sent there in the first place. The Bush administration was all about shooting first and asking real questions later. They rode the wave of the then fresh post 9/11 fear and reactionary angst to sucker the public and congress into supporting a fight against the wrong target. Saddam wasn't good news, but to chant 9/11 as a reason to go into Iraq left me feeling like we were barking up the wrong tree to begin with. WMDs were also another weak excuse. Not only did we find they didn't exist, Bush decided to charge in before the coalition UN finished searching, like he didn't even really care if they were there. That's by no means a way to send people into harms way!

Military Historian Peter Hart Faults British leadership for "a lack of realistic goals, no coherent plan, the use of experienced troops...negligible artillery support, totally inadequate logistical and medical arrangements and a gross underestimation of the enemy." This was the Battle of Gallipoli which began April 1915 and costed nearly half a million men killed, wounded, and missing in action.
A lack of realistic goals, no coherent plan, and a gross underestimation of the enemy and who is to blame for the failure of Iraq? Let me ask these question's. Who or what was responsible for setting unrealistic battle goals, who or what was responsible for a gray coherent battle plan, and who was responsible in underestimation of the enemy. And what was the atmosphere in our nation when all these mistakes were being put in military action that has and is costing lives many years later. Who, indeed is responsible. You may already know the answer to the question.

If they wanted to really make us happy they could start killing each other. That would put us in our place. lol

The painful answer is.... the American voters. We voted the incompetent leaders we have into power.... That is, assuming you believe voter fraud and ridged electronic voting machines had no impact.

the french helped us defeat the brittish, we did, and did not run away ! the u.s. helped the iraqi people trained them, we left, they ran away. welcome ISIS !

The only we who could and should be 'blamed' are the upper elechlon people that planned the war in the first place.

Neither the troops nor the Iraqis on the ground are primarily to blame for. And if post-US iraq can't live in peace, well just don't forget this is a choice they are walking, too. Who are we to decide right and wrong here.

Regardless of American altruism, lack of understanding of 5000 years of Middle Eastern history and culture, our weak populace and politicians betraying and undermining the military at every turn, ultimately it all resides on the shoulders of the Iraqis. They are lazy, apathetic, corrupt, dishonest and cowardly and it is not only immersed in the framework of their culture but all of the above are actually encouraged. I worked as a LNO for several months training and going on missions with ISF and it literally was akin to herding cats. Even on patrol, ISF would leave weapons leaning against lampposts, stop to go grocery shopping or have chi, and look the wrong direction when 'pulling security', and that doesn't even include actual firefights or combat. The only ISF we had that were at all useful or adept were unsurprisingly all Kurdish Peshmergas.
We need to stay the heck out of there period, let the whole place burn then go in to sweep up the ashes. Iraq is not salvagable as long as Iraqis live there.

How many years have the Iraqis been at war with someone? They just don't want to fight anymore.