Twenty Years Later, America’s Invasion of Iraq Is Deeply Misunderstood
We didn’t destroy Iraq. We put it on the road to competitive elections and a ratified constitution.
On the 20th anniversary of the invasion that finally rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein’s tyranny, the war is deeply misunderstood in America. The conventional wisdom today is summed up by a private observation from Colin Powell, later reported by Bob Woodward in his book, “Plan of Attack.” The former secretary of state warned of the “Pottery Barn rules,” If you break it, you own it.
The problem with this pithy quip is that Iraq was already broken by the time President George W. Bush decided to launch the invasion. What’s more, America had already intervened in Iraq a dozen years before 2003. This crucial context is what is missing today in the drab and somber commemorations of the war.
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