Iraq

As the last of their troops leave Iraq, surely only the most blinkered of Americans will regard it as having been an unqualified success. The war has lasted almost as long as the First and Second World Wars together, has cost the lives of 4,500 troops and upwards of a trillion dollars, increasing America's already excessive debt by 8%.

Iraq is now a democracy, although we must have doubts on how perfect a system it has and how long it will last. Violence is not absent from the streets and there is some sign of improved infrastructure but not a lot.

The difference with Libya will be interesting American generals. In Libya the allies supported and armed a nationalist group, thus requiring only missile and air attacks on Gadaffi's military installations. No invasion was to be permitted or indeed proved necessary.

It may be we have learned something from Iraq, although it was quite a costly lesson.

What the average Iraqi thinks about it will be just as mixed: many, many thousands have died and whilst there might be the prospect of an improvement to their lives, it isn't visible yet. Perhaps it all depends on how the oil money is distributed. Some people will say that was always what it was about.