Last Sunday marked one month since the war began in Iraq. The United States and its allies have yet to declare victory, but for all intents and purposes the military operation is over. In fact, the fighting in strategic areas ended in less than four weeks, making this war one of the shortest in history. It now seems just a matter of time before victory is declared one way or another.
Looking back, the war demonstrated the formidable power of America's high-tech weaponry. The regime of President Saddam Hussein collapsed like a house of cards. The northern stronghold of Tikrit, Mr. Hussein's hometown and supposedly his last bastion against invading forces, fell rather quickly.
The Iraqi military, including the elite Republican Guard, turned out to be pathetically weak. Contrary to their bombastic war rhetoric, they showed little organized resistance. They did not resort to much-feared combat in close quarters -- in the streets of Baghdad and other key cities. Nor did they use biological or chemical weapons.