[bishoprook2]

> Someone on the conservative side of the spectrum, please enlighten me what the reasonable argument for justifying the past military action there is at this point...

I'd say that it's possible (quite possible) to be conservative and to be against foreign adventures. It's probably better to view a country as being occupied by multiple cohorts of political thought, one of which is a ruling class that likes to play Risk.

That ruling class has shifted party allegiance and probably will do so in the future.

In any case, from my uninformed armchair, it seems pretty obvious that it's easier to run foreign policy by attempting to influence the existing dictator (whether it's in Iraq or Libya or Syria) rather than install a new one with the attendant cost in blood and treasure.

[cmrdporcupine]

I don't disagree. I'm not saying all conservatives support(ed) the Iraq war in retrospect. But there are some who do and I'd like to understand why.

[bishoprook2]

Maybe because it's fun to cheer on a TV war from a barstool (USA! USA!). The early parts of a war, especially when fighting an incompetent enemy, make for great entertainment.

Western countries aren't ruthless enough to really win wars in the Third World. They should think less like Rome and more like Byzantium. But those opening scenes look amazing.

I can't answer your question though, so I'll leave it at that. Maybe it's the wrong question. Probably best to ask simply for 'people' who supported regime change as opposed to a straightforward trackdown and punishment of guilty parties.

For instance, at this point I'd probably place George Bush at the progressive end of the political spectrum, or at least as an ally. A lot of people have changed their seating position in the last five years.

As usual, James Howard Kunstler has an opinion regarding Afghanistan, a person could argue that the shadow of the CCCP looms over the US. History doesn't repeat, it rhymes:

https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/strange-days-ahead/

[foolinaround]

> the conservative side

please look up the 'neocons' and how they got started. Around the time of 911, neocons got a lot of (emotional) support from regular conservatives, but in general, this is not a conservative ideology.