The Iraq War Exposed Our Rotten System

The rot has not gone anywhere in the twenty years since the invasion, and in many respects it has spread.

Ali Olomi captures how the Iraq war exposed the rot in our system:

Ali A Olomi @aaolomi

The major institutions of America—political, economic, and cultural—lied their way into a war and 20 years on want to rewrite the history of their crimes while the architects remain free to reinvent themselves or enjoy lucrative careers. Not one was held responsible

The rot has not gone anywhere in the twenty years since the invasion, and in many respects it has spread. Every institution that should have guarded against the waging of an illegal and unnecessary war instead acted as an enabler and cheerleader. Congress did not check the executive because it never does, the media largely failed to challenge the government and instead became a reliable conduit for propaganda, and members of the foreign policy establishment either fell down on the job or actively agitated for one of the worst policies in modern U.S. history. War supporters created a toxic atmosphere of jingoistic conformity, and most people in and around government fell in line or kept quiet. The people of Iraq paid a steep price for the rottenness of our system.