•has the united states engaged in preemptive wars in the past? • were there alternatives to invasion? • was it reasonable to assume that the u. s. military could defeat the iraqi military? • what strategy did the united states have for rebuilding the iraqi government and economy after the fall of saddam hussein? • what was the american public asked to do to support the war effort? • what was the human cost of the war on iraq and on the united states? • what was the economic impact of the war on iraq and on the united states?