Saddam Hussein is gone and Iraq is now functioning as one of very few democracies in the Middle East  It's important to be clear that this debate is looking at the results of the Iraq war and, by any definition Iraq is in a much more stable and secure position than it was in 2003 when American, British and other international troops arrived in the country.  Whatever one thinks of the initial justifications for the war there is no doubt that the country, the region and the world are better and safer places without Saddam Hussein [i] . It is easy to criticize the allies but it is worth bearing in mind that the alternative was leaving in power a man who had committed genocide was a vicious and brutal dictator under whose regime extra-judicial execution and detention, mass-murder and torture were commonplace [ii] .  [i] Richard Miniter. “Was the Iraq War Worth It?”. Hudson New York. 2 September 2010.  [ii] Interview with Donald Rumsfeld. Inside Politics. NPR. 14 February 2011.