> Iraq has 10,000yr of cultural baggage that needs mopping up. I would disagree that it was cultural baggage and not massive mismanagement of the post invasion

> Iraq has 10,000yr of cultural baggage that needs mopping up. I would disagree that it was cultural baggage and not massive mismanagement of the post invasion landscape by the US. After the invasion, that absolutely crucial mistake made was to not have any plan on how to provide security in the immediate aftermath of the complete toppling of a foreign government. CENTCOM, the Army War College, and the Army Chief of Staff, among others, warned that we needed a robust plan for security. These were ignored by civilian leadership and the Pentagon, so there was no real “Phase 4” post invasion plan. Policing the streets, securing weapons depots, tracking down loyalists, etc. was just not planned for and as a result, the country slipped into chaos. It is estimated that there were no more than about 5,000 fanatical loyalists post invasion, with almost everyone else being undecided and just seeing what would happen. The mass unemployment of security and military forces pushed a lot of them into the insurgency out of anger and the need for a job. The widespread looting, crime waves, and resulting economic stagnation destroyed the goodwill the US could have had for freeing people from a blood thirsty dictator. All these things allowed for an insurgency to grow, harden, and fill its ranks with military trained fighters that would fight for the next 5 years. The chaos and lack of security allowed for jihadists like Al Qaeda to move in and take advantage, eventually splitting off into Al Qaeda in Iraq and pushing the country to the brink of civil war. It wouldn’t have been easy, regardless of the plan, but the failure of Iraq was 100% foreseeable and avoidable.