[the lone wolf]

For the oil, of course...

[Traianus]

After the "day that will live in infamy" FDR's  first land attack took place in Morocco and Algeria, then French colonies,  in alliance with the British.

An HISTORICAL DETAIL... At that TIME FRANCE GOVT WAS THAT of VICHY
(PRO NAZI) and in NORTH AFRICA AFTER EL ALAMEIN ROMMEL WAS in TUNIS....
SO....Back to the DRAWING BOARD for the AUTHOR.....

[Kozak]

Anyone above idiot who can read a map knows why we invaded Iraq.

[johnny7]

“Republicans...!”

[LIConFem]

No blood for sand!!!

[swain_forkbeard]

I always thought the proximity of Suez had something to do with it.

[jonrick46]

Bingo! Notice this article did not say one peep about the strategy to cut off Germany and Japan from their energy supplies. The parallel of the race to control the energy supply during World War II and today is a history lesson we have not heard. It is as if we have an elephant in the room and the focus is on the peripherals like Halliburton and the “greedy” oil industry.

[chilepepper]

For the oil, of course...

actually, it *WAS* for the oil - indirectly. Unstopped, Rommel would have eventually gotten to Saudi Arabia and Persia.

However, one should never take action for a single reason, and North Africa was a fairly easy way to get into the troop-landing business which would be so important in Italy, Normandy and of course the Pacific.

A similar (if somewhat lame) modern analog is that Reagan moving into Grenada and Panama was a crucial event in having a well-tuned armed forces that could counter Iraq after it siezed Kuwait.