On 20 March 2003, the U.S. military, with minor assistance from England, Australia, and a smattering of other countries, invaded the state of Iraq with the avowed purpose of overthrowing the authoritarian and brutal government of Saddam Hussein and replacing it with a constitutional democracy. At great expense, considerable human cost, and the destruction of vast amounts of international goodwill, the United States intended to free the Iraqi people. (Even though considerable talk of the threat of weapons of mass destruction had preceded the offensive, that chatter disappeared soon after it became clear that the dictator had — surprisingly — complied with international demands and rid the country of any such weaponry.) What did the U.S. government demand from the newly liberated Iraqi people in return? Nothing: this freedom was a gift.
