ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a comprehensive explanation of why the US invasion of Iraq was a strategic mistake and accounts for the many tactical errors that were subsequently made in its implementation. The strategic mistake of going to war with Iraq resulted from President George W. Bush's miscalculation that the transition to stability and democracy in the aftermath of the invasion would be relatively easy. The neoconservative vision failed to take account of Iraqi culture and society and underestimated the influence of Iran. The war in Iraq has drawn resources away from the US war on terror. The full implementation of Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that promises the full withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by summer 2011 must be viewed with skepticism, however. Iraq's Shi'a domination and Iran's rising power, however, gives Iran an edge in Iraq, and the United States must realize that.
