we simply had no idea how broken Iraq was before the 2003 war—economically, socially, culturally, politically, and in its infrastructure and education system. Moreover, “decades of rule by Saddam, who didn’t give a damn about the Iraqi people; the eight-year-long war with Iran; the destruction we wreaked during the Gulf War; twelve years of harsh sanctions—all these meant we had virtually no foundation to build upon in trying to restart the economy, much less create a democratic Iraqi government responsive to the needs of its people,” I wrote.
