”On May 23, 2003, Bremer issued Order Number 2, in effect dissolving the entire former Iraqi army[40] and putting 400,000 former Iraqi soldiers out of work.”

As for who made him do it, I don’t know. But as you said, it was idiotic. And that’s worse than evil. Dietrich Bonhoeffer would agree with me.

I'm not sure it was a bad move.

Leaving the army and power structures in place would have created conditions for a civil war that could have spilled over the entire region. Leaving the defeated minority population to continue ruling over the south and kurds would have been a blood bath.

Disbanding created isis but not disbanding would have been worse. We'll never know how worse things could have gotten.

> a civil war that could have spilled over the entire region.

How would you describe what actually happened?

So, worst case, pay the soldiers to do nothing while vacuuming the market for guns and destroy them.