Tensions in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria, have reached dangerous levels in recent months. The insurgent ISIS has laid claim to parts of Iraq that were already torn apart by the United States’ aggression in the country for the last decade. We left the country in ruins, with a barely functioning government, and it is hard to say that the current crisis is not a result of our actions.

But still, the Iraq War that Bush started only proves that an assault followed by an occupation is not a sustainable foreign policy, and it has only harmed all of the parties involved.

We were warned from the start by military analysts, foreign policy experts, and a few politicians that invading Iraq would only serve to embolden terrorist organizations in the area, and that they would actually use the occupation as a recruiting tool. And they were all correct. Those warnings that were ignored have all played themselves out in the Middle East over the last decade, and we’re now seeing the results.