Probably, yes. That never would have happened, but that would indeed be the logical conclusion. And I'm fine with that.
Trump was for the Iraq war at the time. See https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/29/politics/fact-check-trump-fal...
Just 6 months before the invasion there is a recording of an interview where he said he was for the war.
> "Are you for invading Iraq?" Howard Stern asked him, and Trump answered, "Yeah, I guess so."
It is not hard to convince me that yes, that should have happened. Where does that lead us? Should I feel different now about this particular agression because there were agressions we did not respond appropriately?
Economic warfare does kill people, but it's kind of foolish to say "just as much" as bullets and bombs. I highly doubt the number of dead Russians from these sanctions is anywhere near the number of dead Ukrainian civilians - will need some serious data to back your claim.
The US should not have invaded Iraq for any reason. I would have supported sanctions against the US for those crimes if any country could afford them.
That said, Saddam Hussein's government is not Zelenskyy's government. They're apples and oranges. Ukraine was a functioning democracy that never antagonized Russia.
The war in Afghanistan is a lot more complicated because it was arguably provoked by 9/11 and they didn't (and don't) really have a functioning central state.
> The entire planet should also be isolating Saudi Arabia for its genocidal war in Yemen?
Yes, absolutely.
> Economic warfare kills people just as much as bullets and bombs.
Speaking only about Russia and Ukraine for the last few weeks: bullshit. Russians aren't having pieces of their loved ones sprayed on them by bombs, watching their cities be destroyed, or leaving their lives behind.
Every death, whether in Russia or out, is the fault of its dictator, Vladimir Putin. He is very popular and probably genuinely won his last few elections. It is perfectly fair to blame the Russian people, even though many are brainwashed.
But even if they were all innocent Putin-haters, this lopsided war (economic on one side, violent on the other) is preferable to an all-out war that would kill far more people.
In no way, shape or form should my following comment be construed as support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and just in case let me clearly state I think the invasion is not right and that I think it will be Putin's downfall, and deservedly so.
That said, that Ukraine was a "functioning democracy" and that it never antagonized Russia are very debatable assertions, to say the least.
Ukraine's democracy wasn't perfect, but elections were successfully rigged at least. It was functional if not necessarily unassailable.
but I'm coming at this from the recent feelings of shame from realizing that what I'm feeling now about my friends and family in Ukraine - while I didn't do anything except speaking out against it when (for instance) the war in Libya broke out - so what moral standing do I have now in asking even those Russians that do NOT have friends and family in Ukraine to potentially wreck their own lives to stop this war ?
Hence (I hope) I'll act more about these issues in the future, and hopefully I'm not the only one.
But I think you already know that and your righteous indignation isn't going to change that. Life is not fair.
The US political system did also make an eventual course correction on Iraq. Eg. Republicans lost the congress in 2006 mostly as a result of that. George W. Bush was term limited out of office. The next proposed unnecessary invasions will probably be greeted by politicians not wanting to repeat Iraq. That is slow progress but it's more than I expect from Putin, with his wars in Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, Ukraine again, who knows what is next? Not to mention his disrespect of term limits.
And I know lots of Russians against this war. I've been to Russia. My kids are half Russian. I am optimistic for future Russian opportunities to "course correct".