The American mission in Iraq is coming to an end. It is unclear how the American people define the word “victory”. What was the mission about, what was achieved, and at what cost? Is Iraq today better off than it was in the time of the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein?

It is difficult to say. It is too early to say. Tension is still very high between Sunni and Shiite muslims. Meanwhile, in the US, the Republican party is claiming victory. If oil was the reason for going to war, seven years later the Chinese are the ones who won. In fact, the real losers are the American tax payers and the Iraqi people. 

I do not believe that the empire went to war for a “humanitarian” mission. No one should claim victory. The result is catastrophic: more than four thousand US soldiers killed and billions of dollars spent. As the Arabs of Egypt say, “Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.”