[user104658]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

i think the timeline of events is somewhat skewed here. We first had the war against iraq when they invaded kuwait, there was also the matter of him firing chemical weapons at his own people. Then we had 9/11 which led to the conflict in Afghanistan. People that link 9/11 to iraq are just not following the time line and the true connection of events.

9/11 generated a burst of bloodthirsty patriotism in the USA that had been missing since the individualist, self-centric hippy 60s/70s and yuppie 80s. It restored an appetite for war that had been destroyed by Vietnam and was clearly missing in the first Gulf. It was well over a decade ago now and is still used as a key event to encourage flag-waving.

The US population would not have easily accepted "shock and awe" and the full scale invasion of Iraq without 9/11.