IRAQ. Baghdad. 2010. Iraqi policemen and American soldiers wait while their commanders plan a joint patrol of
southern Baghdad. In mid-2009, American forces ceased regular patrols in Iraqi cities and the
Iraqi Army and police took over their remaining duties. Patrols were still commonplace, but first
had to be approved and coordinated with Iraqi forces. While we were waiting, a nineteen-yearold
American asked me if the U.S. had attacked Iraq and Afghanistan simultaneously. He had
been a child in the early days of the war.