[Crvena zvezda]

I don't think it has anything to do with expanding Israel's size since Iraq since the gulf war was neutralized in attacking Israel. Especially since between Iraq and Israel you had Jordan, the most pro-Israeli of all Arab states.

The reasons for the war were:
- Saddam was a chief financier of Palestinian terrorists (every suicide bombers fmaily would receive over $10,000 from Iraq -- that is the equivalent of 10 years income for the average Palestinian family). It was hoped the financial incentive of Palestinians to become suicide bombers would cease -- since the invasion the number of attacks decreased.
- "Containing" Iran. The U.S. had a plicy of "containment" of communism after WWII, and the neocons in the U.S. hold the same view regarding Iran. That is the chief reason the U.S. got involved in Afghanistan, why accoridng to Musharraf U.S. officials threatened to bomb Pakistan after 9/11 if it did not become a U.S. ally, the increasing ampunt of military hardware the U.S. gives to Turkey and the billions the U.S. investing billions in Azerbaijan. The only Iranian neighbours not part of this were Armenia and Turkmenistan (both insignificant in containing Iran) and Iraq (this one being significant).
- Establishing an "air corridor" for Israel to attack Iran. The U.S. is unlikely to ever go into direct combat with Iran, but Israel would likley try do to Irans nuclear program what they did to Iraq's in the 1980s. Currently, with U.S. in full control of Iraq's airspace, effectively in control of Turkey's and Azerbaijans, and Jordan being a pro-Israeli state the air corridor exists.