The ten year war in Iraq cost 4,800 coalition lives, 40,000 allied casualties, one million local deaths, and more than a trillion dollars. And who won? — the demented autocrats of next-door Iran, who did not fire a shot. The allies ousted Iran’s sworn enemy, Saddam Hussein. The U.S. installed the first Iran-friendly shia government in modern Iraq history. And the two strongest leaders to emerge in Iraq are former residents of Iran, religiously associated with Tehran’s brand of Islam. All this begs a question: when Iran-influenced Iraq goes despotic again, will the U.S. invade for another ten years?
TOM TIEDE