Iraq was already doing far better than most Arab countries...way back before they were encouraged by the West to launch that war on Iran in the 80's. I have known people who travelled there prior to that, and remarked on Iraq's accomplishments in modernization. Where the Iraquis went horribly wrong (under Saddam) was in embarking on an expansionist military policy. They were heavily assisted in that by the most expasionist military aggressor in recent history, the USA (or is that Israel?). And that was their key mistake.

It has led to a series of disasters, this invasion by the "coalition of the willing-to-be-bribed and the dragged kicking and screaming" being the latest, and the absolute worst.

- LH