The Reprieve of the Surge

Despite the strategic mistakes of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the great loss of civilian lives (one John Hopkins University study puts the total number of Iraqis killed as a result of the war and insurgency at 650,000 between 2003 and 2006), there are signs that the violent transformation Iraq experienced during the American occupation had a positive side effect. As America showed in the aftermath of World War II with the Marshall Plan and the rebuilding of Japan’s institutions, America has a unique ability to pour its creative and economic resources into rebuilding efforts. For the first time in Iraq’s history, Iraqis were able to vote for their political representatives under a new constitution—a better omen than ...

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