March 20 marked the eighth anniversary of the American-led invasion of Iraq. This was not just an anniversary of military aggression against a nation that had no part in the 2001 terror attacks against the U.S.
Indeed, this was an anniversary of a nation betrayed by its government, of death and destruction imposed on Americans and Iraqis alike and of billions of dollars down Arabian sand dunes.
Not entirely unlike other conflicts in history that were waged on the basis of false pretences, the invasion of Iraq also took place because of a lie.
We were told repeatedly, “Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction,” and that the skies of American metropolises were in imminent danger of being covered in a radioactive mushroom cloud.
As master neo-conservatives like John Bolton deceived the international community, the U.S. was being deceived by a 24-hour mainstream mediagasm of fear admixed with an American-sized dose of patriotism. “You are either with us or with the terrorists,” became the new motto of dealing with legal and humanitarian aspects of the invasion.
I absolutely despised Saddam Hussein in much the same way I despise former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Col. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and the theocratic kings and mullahs of Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, Saddam Hussein (and his biological weaponry) had always carried a “Made in America” sticker. Not unlike Hosni Mubarak, Saddam Hussein was our dictator.
The Iraq invasion and the subsequent eight years of sorrow, terror, bloodshed and destruction epitomize a central and obnoxious principle of our country’s foreign policy: Support dictatorships as long as they suit our needs and get rid of them when they no longer do.
Saddam Hussein’s aggression and use of chemical weaponry against the Iranians (who had just overthrown a puppet dictator of their own) took place strictly with our approval. The enemy of our enemy became our friend — despite his genocidal tendencies.
Eight years have brought us more than 100,000 dead Iraqis and more than 4,000 dead Americans. Iraqi infrastructure is in greater shambles than before the invasion. What’s next?
As a nation, have we learned enough from our mistake to be cognizant of power-hungry leaders who will do anything — including murder — for the sake of their ambitions?
Have we, as a nation, became sober enough not to entertain crazy warmongers the next time they go on TV and propose to bomb some other country? I somehow doubt it. What Iraq has done to us — or what we’ve done to Iraq — is the destruction of the fragile fabric of our democratic ideals.
The recent events in Egypt had a hollow ring of déjà vu about them. I wonder if this country has changed during the past years so as not to allow for such a tragedy again.
Reach Sohail at sbayot@asu.edu
