Iraq Intervention Ends for U.S. with Conflicted Feelings

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “U.S. Marks End to a Long War for an Uncertain Iraq,” describes a conflicted situation, both for the Arab nation and its erstwhile liberators.

While it is true that the war overthrew a despicable dictator, the aftermath of the conflict left the Iraqis with a country broken in many ways. The outburst of sectarian violence has never totally healed; the country still hasn’t resolved how to divide its oil wealth; and the independent judiciary system sought by the U.S. remains to be satisfactorily achieved.

On its side, the United States has lost 4,000 young citizens and who knows what their contribution to our nation may have eventually been? There could have been another Steve Jobs among them, and our nation will never be able to replace their contributions to both our society and their own families.

The end came at a modest ceremony, with the U.S. tanks taking the same highway to Kuwait they used when they came in as an invasion force. The political legacy of the war in Iraq has been even more bitter, as it has polarized our nation with implications for everything from healthcare to our crumbling infrastructure.

And the “weapons of mass destruction” used as a justification for the war have never been found.