One of the most famous moments in the lead-up to the Iraq war in 2003 was when then-Secretary of State Colin Powell cited the Pottery Barn rule regarding the Middle East: 'If you break it, you buy it.' Sadly, that is precisely what happened back then, as the war turned into a 12-year slog in which almost 5,000 American soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice without achieving the goal of a stable and modern Iraq.