The Iraq war – or at least direct US involvement in it – officially ended Dec. 15.
While the original argument for the war – the presence of weapons of mass destruction – turned out to be false, the subsequently heralded goal of spreading democracy has yielded some positive results. The country has had somewhat fair elections, and majority Shiite Arabs, who were second-class citizens under Saddam Hussein, are now the dominant political power. Whereas Iraq formerly served as a useful secular counterweight to Shiite Iran in the region, however, Baghdad is now much closer to Tehran.
And sectarian tensions, which resulted in a violent 2006-07 civil war, remain high. Also problematic: The rule of law has been slipping, with lack of accountability for corrupt officials and frequent human rights abuses. Peaceful protests have been silenced by the state by force.
Scott Peterson, the Monitor's Middle East correspondent, covered US troops' last year in Iraq with Jane Arraf.
Highlights of the Monitor's coverage of the Iraq exit:
Iraq after the US: will it survive? – Cover story by Scott Peterson in Baghdad
Hurt by war in Iraq, a Baghdad museum reemerges – by Scott Peterson in Baghdad
Why Iraqis in oil-rich Kirkuk want US troops to stay – by Mohammed A. Salih in Kirkuk, Iraq
Iran's bid for power in postwar Iraq – by Scott Peterson in Baghdad
