If you were following the news during the March 2010 elections in Iraq, you might remember that the American press was flooded with stories declaring the elections a success, complete with upbeat anecdotes and photographs of Iraqi women proudly displaying their ink-stained fingers. The subtext was that United States military operations had succeeded in creating a stable and democratic Iraq. Early that year, I received orders to investigate 15 individuals whom the federal police had arrested on suspicion of printing anti-Iraqi literature. I learned that these individuals had absolutely no ties to terrorism; they were publishing a scholarly critique of Mr. Maliki s administration. I forwarded this finding to the officer in command in eastern Baghdad. He responded that he didn t need this information; instead, I should assist the federal police in locating more anti-Iraqi print shops.