Jérôme Sessini

What was the role of little Ali Abbas in this war? The maimed orphan was the target of propaganda from both sides: an icon for the Iraqis and an example for the British to show how magnanimous they were providing him with medical treatment in a high-tech clinic.

The end of Baathism was greeted with lukewarm and puzzled rejoicing: Saddam had gone, thank-you Bush, and here was an occupant in the place of the tyrant. Violence increased, as if by fate, fueled by the arrogance and ineptitude of the US forces. Anarchy would make inroads, with looting, murder, rape and attacks. And there was also unemployment and poverty, so some Iraqis even ended up ruing the departure of Saddam Hussein. The people were losing patience; where was the peace the Americans had promised?

Young American soldiers had been dumped in Iraq in a Rambo role, and were both violent and terrified. These were people from the fringes of American society, its weaker members, caricatures of their culture. And the saddest thing of all is that most of them thought they were fighting a legitimate war. Which side had been more carefully regimented?

On the other side, the situation was changing to suit the new circumstances. There were true insurgents (in the noble sense of the term), fake rebels, and real madmen; soldiers were dying, civilians were weeping and journalists were afraid.

By January 2005, there was a glimmer of hope. Despite the climate of fear, thousands of Iraqis went out to vote, ignoring threats from radical Sunni groups. The women were cheerful, laughing beneath their abayas; they were going to do something unprecedented and liberating – vote.

There is still no peace in Iraq; the population is exasperated, and so are the Americans. It seems impossible to stop the cycle of violence. Soon I shall be returning to Iraq.