Occupiers or Liberators?

This is a question that has been making the rounds of the punditocracy as of late: Will the coalition that overthrows Saddam be seen as liberators or invaders intent on occupying the country?

For those of us that lean strongly towards 'liberator', there is some new evidence: Iraq's real estate market is booming. There is a surge of investment in commercial construction, home prices are skyrocketing, the Iraqi stock exchange is rising, and real estate speculators are making a killing. According to [i]Newsweek[/i], "there is an air of undeniable optimism in the marketplace".

I would call this a very strong leading indicator. The Iraqis are not huddling in their houses waiting for bombs to fall on them. They are not burying their valuables, or packing up their belongings getting ready to escape the country. They are investing. They are starting to think about beginning new lives, moving to better locations, and preparing to rebuild an economy ravaged by decades of dictatorship, war, and sanctions.

This is simply not the behaviour of people who are expecting a violent, protracted war and a permanent occupation. It is the behaviour of people who believe that they will soon be liberated.