Alaa over at The Mesopotamian has been exploring various aspects of the occupation. His current effort brings up many interesting points. Eventually:

The [Middle East] will succumb and fall into the basket like a ripe fruit once the dust settles and the benefits [of the fall of Saddam] begin to materialize and they will, have no doubt. The main thing is that this neo-imperialism is quite different from the old. Rather than aiming at subjugating and enslaving people it aims at freeing and raising their standard so that they may be eligible to join the family of civilized people. The tables are indeed turned[...] almost every meaning is reversed. We should not be afraid of names. Occupation is liberation; Imperialism is benevolent; Resistance is sabotage and directed against the people and their livelihood and has no clear objective and no future; The Right is revolutionary and the Left is reactionary; The Conservatives of yesterday are the optimists who believe in the ability of eastern people for freedom and democracy and the Liberals and Leftists of yesterday are pessimistic and skeptical and even racist about it; and we could go on and on citing this remarkable reversal of things.

He has quite a remarkable insight into our own political culture. Let's hope he's right.