1. First three phases of the military operations against Iraq
the military buildup,
initial preparatory actions (largely by covert teams),
main air-ground thrust, (the war began on March 19, 2003)

2. Regime change Government (executive power) destroyed;
Military, police units and security forces dismantled;
No functioning administration in state agencies;
No legal framework (constitution);
Judiciary system in shambles;
Political parties either non-existent or in early stages of development.

3. Major mistakes: 1. Planning for the wrong contingency;
2. There was no detailed political transition plan;
3. Loyalty more important than competence;
4. Dictates of the political process in the US;
5. Underestimating influence (political) of insiders (local leaders and overestimating) influence of exiles.
6. US military and civilian leadership driven by different agendas;
7. Reports coming out of Iraq going to Pentagon not reaching other agencies of the US government.

4. Specific mistakes during the occupation
dissolving and then not attempting to reconstitute the Iraqi army;
taking de-Baathification to an extreme;
keeping the occupation in the hands of Washington, and reconstruction contracts in the hands of supporters of the war;
frequently changing plans for elections and the transfer of sovereignty

5. Militias (irregular military forces)
Shi’I militias: Mahdi Army and Badr Organization;

6. Civil war signals Political polarization; Irreconcilable demands;
Ethnic cleansing;
Non-state militias;
Conflicting loyalties;
Violence and human rights abuses; and
Inflammatory rhetoric.