I disagree. The Iraqi people were living under a murderous regime. Our primary mistake in prosecuting the war was that we did not do so as conquerors. We tried to paint ourselves as liberators but did a horrible job at it. We further failed to recognize the importance of local tribal affiliations and chieftains. By the time we did this, the dye was caste.
Uh, oh. Is this going to be like another Civil War thread on FR?
But we don’t have 150 years of historical analysis on this issue. All we have is what we’ve heard from the IC and the media - both of which we distrust.
So as you debate, it might be good to keep this in mind, and realize that all of the facts about this episode will not become public for a very long time.