The Saddam Interviews

The FBI has released twenty interviews and five "conversations" with executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Hussein denies having any WMD's, or links to Al-Qaeda, calling Osama Bin Laden a "zealot." He claims that he destroyed his remaining stockpiles in the late 1990s, but hid that fact from international weapons inspectors out of fear of appearing weak to Iran.
Iran's uprising in 1979 against the Shah frightened Hussein, a Sunni. He believed that his own repressed minority of Shias would be inspired by the revolution, enough to start one of their own. This fear, and a series of alleged assassination attempts, lead to the Iran-Iraq war, which started in September of 1980. The United States, having supported the Shah, saw a natural ally in Hussein, and supported Iraq in the war, allegedly with chemical weapons. This is why, perhaps, Hussein was so surprised when the United States fought against Iraq in the first Gulf War.
Then came the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Despite being labeled as part of the "axis of evil," he still believed that his biggest threat was from the Iranians. He did not consider the United States an existential threat to his dictatorship, because they had already allowed him to stay in power once, in 1991. Yet in March of 2003 the US invaded, but no WMDs or links to Al-Qaeda were ever found.
Hussein's admissions underscore a vital mistake made by George W. Bush. After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Bush conflated all "evil-doers" in the Arab world with Al-Qaeda. Hussein and Iraq had no allies in Iran or Al-Qaeda, only enemies. In the 1980s, the US assumed that the enemy (Iraq) of our enemy (Iran) was our friend, extending a needless war, killing thousand of Muslims, and sewing seeds of hatred in the Middle East. In 2003 the US made a similar mistake, assuming that our enemy (Iraq) and our enemy (Al-Qaeda) were friends, resulting in over four thousand American deaths, countless Iraqi civilian deaths, and the hanging of Saddam.
It is obvious that the United States needs a more nuanced approach to problems in the Middle East, not caricatures. The West, in general, must foster a mutual understanding with the Arab world. This will not only lead to far less blood and treasure being wasted, but hopefully a more respectful dialogue and a chance for Arab citizens to fully join the modern world.