The article reveals a much more complex picture than could be explained by a nation that had not done anything illegal since 1998.

Much of what is dismissed as "looting damage" looks more like deliberate attempts to conceal evidence.

Some of the damage appeared to be calculated, hinting at another explanation for the frustrated weapons hunt. Outside an alternative energy lab, Deal said he found computers and paper file boxes arranged in a stack and burned. "Looters are stealing computers," he said. "Why would they burn them?"

In a biology lab, the team found broken glassware and supplies but only bare mounts where work tables and ventilation hoods had been. "There's an obvious difference between looting and professional removal," Deal said.

That being said, there is no excuse for there not being Arab translators on these teams.