In the Middle East, the Iraq war is widely interpreted as a war for US control of Persian Gulf oil – a rather plausible view given what we know about the war’s true origins. Only incredible hubris and naiveté could bring US (and UK) leaders to believe that Western troops would be greeted as liberators rather than as occupiers.
正是由于对这一点缺乏了解，至少从1979年推翻伊朗王朝后，美国在中东的外交政策就屡遭挫折。美国继续天真地把伊朗当作可以操纵的木偶，无论是出于争夺石油还是别的什么目的。在中东地区，大多数人认为美国是为了控制波斯湾石油才发动的伊拉克战争¾这种看法似是而非，因为我们都清楚这场战争的真正缘由。错就错在令人难以置信的傲慢和天真使美国（和英国）领导人相信：人们会像迎接救星那样欢迎西方军队，而不会把他们看成占领者。