This post is Bacevich's response to a question posed by the Council on Foreign Relations to four commentators: 'Was the Iraq War worth it?

 As framed, the question invites a sober comparison of benefits and costs - gain vs. pain. The principal benefit derived from the Iraq War is easily identified: as the war's defenders insist with monotonous regularity, the world is indeed a better place without Saddam Hussein. Point taken……