Back in 2002, I very much favored the liberation of Iraq from Saddam.
Looking back in 2009, I find myself amazed that it has been accomplished as rapidly and with as little loss of US military and Iraqi civilian life as has occurred. The degree of democratization and stability in Iraq governance is turning out better than I hoped also.
Anyone, like Rappaport, who believes you can remake deeply troubled societies without an extended period of purging the old venoms is just plain naive. The years of turmoil may prove a boon for Iraq in the long run as mostly it was bad actors eliminating other bad actors. They also served as a stark demonstration to the citizenry of the overwhelming importance of striving for a better system.
My hat is off to the Iraqi people. I just hope we don’t proceed from here to screw up the most promising development in the region in my lifetime.
