But the United States and its allies, lacking a coherent vision of Iraq’s future, much less a sound policy for the post-Saddam era, declared Iraq an occupied country, with a US-appointed administrator to run the country, who soon decided to dismantle all existing security, military, and media institutions. He also introduced a de-Baathification law, which evicted members of the Baath Party from official positions without legal recourse, paving the way for sectarianism and, ultimately, communal violence and unrest.
但美国和盟国并未制定关于伊拉克未来的清晰计划，更谈不上后萨达姆时代的明智政策。他们宣布伊拉克为被占领国并接受美国任命官员的管理，而此人则迅速决定解散所有安全、军事和媒体机构。他还执行了清除复兴党的法律，在未经法律程序批准的情况下驱逐任职的复兴党党员，为宗派主义及最终的群体暴力动荡打下了基础。