On the bright side, Iraqis are rid of one of the 20th
century's most ruthless dictators. They held free elections and
have a new constitution.
For Iraqis, deciding if the invasion was worth the sacrifice
depends partly on their sect and ethnicity and where they live.
Saddam, a Sunni Arab, persecuted the country's majority
Shi'ites and Kurds. Shi'ites now hold the reins of power while
once-dominant Sunni Arabs have become marginalised.
In Baghdad, epicentre of a sectarian war in 2006 and 2007
that nearly tore Iraq apart, people long for the safe streets of
Saddam's era. In the Shi'ite south, they no longer fear Saddam's
henchmen, but rival Shi'ite factions competing for influence.
In the north, the economy of largely autonomous Kurdistan is
flourishing in a region that Kurds call "the other Iraq".
Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd, said Iraq was
moving in the right direction. Those who felt the invasion was a
mistake should remember Saddam's atrocities, he said.
Zebari said proof that a majority of Iraqis supported the
overthrow of Saddam was their participation in 2005 elections.
"The brutality of Saddam's regime deformed society in many
ways so we have to be patient," he told Reuters in an interview.
"Compared to the experience of other nations I think we have
done very well. But yes, it has been very, very costly."
Um Khalid, a 40-year old Baghdad hairdresser, said violence
was so random that no one knew if they would be its next victim.
"No, no, no. What happened was not worth it. Those who say
things are better are lying," she said.
KILLED OVER THEIR NAME
Many Iraqis vividly recall the chaotic months after the
invasion on March 20, 2003, symbolised by the toppling of a big
statue of Saddam in central Baghdad.
Their euphoria at new freedoms and hopes the United States
would transform Iraq into another rich Gulf Arab state were
dashed as Sunni Arabs rose up against their new rulers and car
bombs turned markets and mosques into killing fields.
In February 2006, suspected al Qaeda militants blew up a
revered Shi'ite mosque in the town of Samarra, unleashing a wave
of sectarian violence that meant being a Shi'ite or a Sunni in
the wrong neighbourhood could be a death sentence.
"Before 2003, we lived under a tough regime, no one can deny
that," said Abu Wasan, 55, a former army brigadier-general and a
senior member of Saddam's disbanded Baath party.
"But at least we never heard of bodies getting dumped on
garbage just because people had a Sunni or a Shi'ite name."
The worst of the sectarian carnage is over, at least for
now. A year ago, police would find up to 50 bodies in the
streets of Baghdad each day. That number has dropped to single
digits thanks to the deployment of additional U.S. troops and
ceasefires by many Shi'ite and Sunni Arabs militants. Also in
many Baghdad areas ethnic cleansing has already been completed.
GRIM NUMBERS
The latest tolls from the widely cited human rights group
Iraq Body Count show up to 89,000 civilians have been killed
since 2003. Research conducted by one of Britain's leading
polling groups, however, puts the death toll at 1 million.
The U.S. military death toll stands at 3,975.
Other statistics make for grim reading.
The United Nations estimates 4 million Iraqis are struggling
to feed themselves while 40 percent of the country's 27 million
people have no safe water. The Iraqi doctors' syndicate says up
to 70 percent of spe******t doctors have fled abroad.
Iraq's national power grid, devastated by years of war and
sanctions, leaves millions in the dark. The country has the
world's third largest reserves of oil, but motorists sometimes
queue at petrol stations for hours.
"I have been in this queue since dawn waiting to fill my
car," said Abdullah Ahmed, 53, a taxi driver in the northern
city of Kirkuk, which sits atop huge reserves of oil.
"What democracy? What prosperity? When the statue fell, we
thought we would live like the Gulf, but that was just words."
People with such views are overlooking the joy of speaking
freely, said Ahmed Sebti, 39, owner of a kebab restaurant in the
southern Shi'ite city of Najaf.
In the past, making fun of Saddam could have deadly
consequences. The current president, Jalal Talabani, has a keen
sense of humour and loves satire.
"Before, civil servants couldn't eat kebabs. Now my income
depends on them. Living standards are better," said Sebti.
Some Iraqis fear the invasion has set into motion political
forces that could lead to the partition of Iraq into Shi'ite,
Sunni Arab and Kurdish regions -- a prospect that would
inevitably be bloody and may drag in neighbouring countries.
But Iraq is no longer a threat to its neighbours.
It is also one of the few countries in the region to hold
free elections, something unheard of in neighbouring Gulf Arab
countries. Provincial elections that could redraw Iraq's
political map are expected later this year.
Sheikh Fatwa al-Jerboa, a Sunni Arab tribal leader in the
northern city of Mosul, said there was plenty to be happy about.
"I feel grateful to the British and Americans for ousting
this dreadful dictator. Now we enjoy freedom of speech and the
freedom to choose our own leaders," he said.
Yousif Kamil, 25, in the northern city of Baiji, disagreed.
"It was a big mistake by America. We will remember it as
they remember Vietnam," he said.