In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Francis Fukuyama signed an open letter arguing that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was essential to 'the eradication of terrorism', even if Saddam were revealed to have had no connection to al-Qaida and no hand in the attack. At that time, in other words, and alongside neo-con celebrities such as Charles Krauthammer and William Kristol, Fukuyama was beating the drum for a 'shift in focus from al-Qaida to Iraq'. He now expresses qualms about the killing of 'tens of thousands' of innocent Iraqis who had done nothing to harm America or its inhabitants: 'These casualties in a country we were seeking to help represent an enormous human cost.' Such guarded words of regret will strike most readers as welcome and overdue. To unrepentant apologists of the war, by contrast, they have the feel of apostasy and betrayal.

LRB 5 October 2006 | PDF Download