Before Iraq there was ... Vietnam. Why were we there? Perhaps war is NOT about religion, territory or politics. Perhaps war exists for itself -- for pure destruction, limiting the gene pool ... GENOCIDE.
"It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures ... War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner." -- Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy
In the quest to divide and control the world, war is the "chaos tool." Chaos(scientific definition): The unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms. In the wake of destruction, we see the emergence of the necessary "new forms." Problem => Destruction => Solution The "problem" is often manufactured. As in the case of Vietnam (as many have argued), it may not even exist. But it will warrant the next phase, so as to bring in the third.