I've read and heard the U.S. presence in Iraq referred to lately as an "occupation".  I have a huge problem with this use of the term, because nothing could be further from the truth.
I think those who use the term have a deep misunderstanding of the word's true meaning.  There is no current occupation, and there never really was.  Nazi Germany occupied Poland; the Nazis went in with force, overthrew the current government, and took control of the country.  Jews and anyone who spoke openly against the Nazi regime were arrested and hauled out of the country, losing their identity and every right as a human being.  The laws of Nazi Germany became the law of that region, and the population was expected to submit to that law or be punished.  Poland, like other occupied nations, remained under such German control until it was liberated and returned to local control by the allies.  That is a true example of "occupation", and, unless you consider a government elected by the people or the Baathist's coup in 1968 to be "occupation", it hasn't happened in Iraq in recent history.  Perhaps it would have been better if it had - Iraq, the 51st state - but it didn't go that way.

With regard to the "Iraq war", the U.S. was a part of a larger coalition, although they certainly were the leaders of the campaign.  The then-current government, Hussein's regime, was overthrown and the feared leader removed, but the U.S. did not take political control of the country.  Instead, the U.S., along with the rest of the coalition, immediately began working with local figures to build a new government put in place by the local populace.  It was even an all-Iraqi court and jury that tried Sadam Hussein.  Today Iraq has its own publicly-elected government in place, creating law, keeping law, and running the nation in earnest.  Iraq has its own armed forces, local police, emergency services, social systems and programs, etc.  The U.S. and coalition presence in Iraq today is nothing more than a peace-keeping force, in place to assist Iraqi forces in protecting its people and the government they elected.

In fact, the "Iraq war" was won 10 weeks after it began.  It then shifted completely to a peace-keeping presence to protect the local populace against radical terrorists who can't stand the idea of a self-governed populace.