{"id":2978,"date":"2023-03-22T21:11:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T18:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/?p=2978"},"modified":"2023-03-22T21:11:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T18:11:28","slug":"twenty-years-after-the-us-led-invasion-of-iraq-the-effects-of-war-and-occupation-still-reverberate-through-the-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/?p=2978","title":{"rendered":"Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the effects of war and occupation still reverberate through the region."},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"container container--grid container--article container--white container--vertical-padding\">\n<div class=\"container__inner\">\n<div class=\"l-col l-col--8\"><main id=\"main-content-area\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-label=\"Main content area\"><\/p>\n<header class=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<div class=\"topics\">News|The Iraq War: 20 years on<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: right;\">20 years on, was removing Saddam Hussein worth the war in Iraq?<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__subhead css-1wt8oh6\"><em>Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the effects of war and occupation still reverberate through the region.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<figure class=\"article-featured-image\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\">he United States led a coalition that invaded Iraq, and then began a years-long occupation of the country [File: Jorge Silva\/Reuters]<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-info-block css-ti04u9\">\n<div class=\"article-b-l\">\n<div class=\"article-author-name\"><span class=\"article-by\">By\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-author-name-item\">Arwa Ibrahim<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<div class=\"date-simple css-1yjq2zp\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 20 Mar 2023<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">20 Mar 2023<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"social-share-buttons\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wysiwyg wysiwyg--all-content css-ibbk12\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Exactly 20 years ago, on March 20, 2003, the United States launched a ground invasion of Iraq, promising to end the rule of President Saddam Hussein and destroy alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the oil-rich country.<\/p>\n<p>Air operations had begun the night before, as US President George W Bush announced in a televised address: \u201cAt this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">KEEP READING<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<article class=\"more-on__article css-m0f37v\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list 1 of 3<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"more-on__article-heading\">How the Iraqi symphony orchestra has survived wars and sanctions<\/h3>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"more-on__article css-m0f37v\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list 2 of 3<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"more-on__article-heading\">What is the legacy of the US-led invasion in Iraq?<\/h3>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"more-on__article css-m0f37v\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list 3 of 3<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"more-on__article-heading\">Iraqis still haunted by Saddam-era disappearances after his fall<\/h3>\n<\/article>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, US forces, mainly backed by troops from the United Kingdom, never found weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n<p>And although Saddam was captured, tried, and hanged, the country remains deeply scarred by conflict, marred by economic devastation and political upheaval, and under the sway of Iranian and American influences.<\/p>\n<p>With more than 200,000 Iraqi\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iraqbodycount.org\/database\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">civilians<\/a>\u00a0and 4,500 US soldiers killed, and chaos and instability gripping the whole region as a result of the invasion, questions over why this war was waged in the first place remain potent.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1510809\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1510809\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-1510809\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/2003-03-25_3_BUSH-IRAQ.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C509&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"George Bush\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1510809\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">US President George W Bush during a visit to the Pentagon on March 25, 2003, to discuss his request to Congress for nearly $75bn to fund the war in Iraq [File: Kevin Lamarque\/Reuters]&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The case for war<\/h3>\n<p>US politicians and ideologues began to lay the foundations for the occupation of Iraq years before it happened.<\/p>\n<p>After Saddam launched an invasion of his oil-rich neighbour, Kuwait, in 1990, US President George HW Bush, the younger Bush\u2019s father, declared his intention to impose \u201cliberal democracy\u201d in Iraq, opening a floodgate for US neoconservative politicians who pushed for Saddam to be deposed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\">\n<div class=\"ads__slot\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The decision to go to war was driven by security concerns engendered by the 9\/11 attacks in 2001 and mixed with ideological motives to liberalise and democratise Iraq and the region.<\/p>\n<p>The US-led invasion was also closely tied to Iraqi exiles in the West, who pushed for Saddam\u2019s removal. However, in the post-war era, exiles based in Iran were able to take advantage and dominate post-war Iraqi politics.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_832526\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-832526\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-832526\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/12f73c3d327c46cba65b1f9612315254_18.jpeg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C433&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"The Stream - Iraq refugees returning home\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-832526\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 14th of Ramadan Mosque stands over Firdos Square, where a statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled during the US invasion on April 13, 2015 in Baghdad, Iraq [File: John Moore\/Getty Images]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Capturing Baghdad<\/h3>\n<p>American, British and other coalition forces invaded Iraq from Kuwait on March 20, 2003, quickly crushing the regular Iraqi military, and chasing Saddam out of power.<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-newsletter-slot\">\n<div class=\"sib-newsletter-form general-style\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup Widget\">\n<div class=\"sib-form-container\">\n<div class=\"sib-container--large sib-container--horizontal\">\n<div class=\"sign-up-for-al-jazeera-container\">\n<h3 class=\"sign-up-for-al-jazeera\">Sign up for Al Jazeera<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"newsletter-title\">Week in the Middle East<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"sib-form-general\" method=\"POST\" data-type=\"subscription\">\n<div class=\"sib-newsletter-form-fields-container\"><span class=\"newsletter-description-line\" aria-hidden=\"false\">Catch up on our coverage of the region, all in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sib-newsletter-form-fields\" aria-hidden=\"false\"><input id=\"email\" class=\"sib-newsletter-form-input\" tabindex=\"0\" autocomplete=\"email\" name=\"email\" type=\"email\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"E-mail address\" data-required=\"true\" aria-label=\"E-mail address\" \/><button class=\"sib-form-submit \" tabindex=\"0\" form=\"sib-form-general\" type=\"submit\" aria-label=\"signup for Week in the Middle East\">Sign up<\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"error-message\" role=\"alert\" aria-hidden=\"true\" aria-atomic=\"true\" aria-live=\"error\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"success-message\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/static\/media\/right-mark-icon.3a446adc.svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sib-newsletter-privacy-policy\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\">By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/privacy.aljazeera.net\/\" aria-label=\"By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy.\">Privacy Policy<\/a><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Three weeks later, on April 9, US troops seized Baghdad. Together with Iraqi civilians, they toppled a statue of Saddam in Baghdad\u2019s Firdos Square \u2013 a historic moment that became symbolic of US victory as it made headlines global.<\/p>\n<p>On May 1, Bush declared \u201cmission accomplished\u201d on board the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, and ended major combat operations in Iraq. Lawlessness, which had quickly spread across the country highlighting the failure of US troops to bring order, was dismissed by US government officials as not serious.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1564719\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1564719\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-1564719\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AP18074346675490.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C504&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Bush\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1564719\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Bush declared the end of major combat in Iraq as he spoke on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast on May 1, 2003 [File: J Scott Applewhite\/AP Photo]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>No weapons of mass destruction<\/h3>\n<p>Before the end of 2003, US troops captured Saddam, who was hiding in a hole near his childhood home in Tikrit. He was later tried by an Iraqi court and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2023\/3\/13\/saddam-hussein-disposed-of-near-ex-pms-home-post-execution\">executed<\/a>\u00a0for his role in mass killings and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>The date chosen for his execution, December 30, 2006, which also happened to be the first day of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, has been controversial ever since.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\">\n<div class=\"ads__slot\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Shortly after Saddam\u2019s capture, the Bush administration conceded that its pre-war arguments about the presence of stockpiles of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in Iraq were unfounded.<\/p>\n<p>A presidential commission concluded in 2005 that US intelligence on Iraqi WMD was completely flawed, and \u201cnot one bit\u201d of evidence was there. The testimony and accounts of defectors and members of the Iraqi National Congress were ultimately found to be unsubstantiated accounts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_904257\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-904257\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-904257\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/2010911121122807580_20.jpeg?w=680&amp;resize=680%2C450&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Saddam Hussein\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-904257\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein speaks during his trial at the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on May 31, 2006 [File: Erik De Castro\/EPA]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Transitional phase<\/h3>\n<p>In May 2003, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer, disbanded the Iraqi army and intelligence services and barred the long-ruling Baath Party from participating in the government formation process. The decision alienated hundreds of thousands of trained men and created a security and governance vacuum in the country that devastated it for years.<\/p>\n<p>The transition from US to Iraqi rule in the mid-2000s saw the killing of tens of thousands of Iraqis, the launch of an al-Qaeda-led armed uprising, the outbreak of a sectarian civil war, and eventually, the rise of ISIL (ISIS).<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fluid-vids\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-player-0\" class=\"youtube-player pause-controller in-content\" title=\"How the US invasion shaped Iraq | Start Here\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q9qe5rWiyNc?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Elections, sectarian violence<\/h3>\n<p>In the aftermath of the fall of Saddam, who was accused of sectarian oppression against Iraq\u2019s Shia and Kurdish groups, the Provisional Authority was preoccupied with creating an ethno-sectarian balance in the country.<\/p>\n<p>It used the muhasasa, or sectarian quota system, to select Iraq\u2019s first post-2003 governing body \u2013 the Iraq Governing Council (IGC) \u2013 and provide proportional government representation among the country\u2019s Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish groups.<\/p>\n<p>While the system gave political and economic power to parties that came to dominate Iraqi politics post-2003, one of the major ills of the muhasasa system was how it deepened sectarian divisions, which continue to reverberate through Iraq and the region until today.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\">\n<div class=\"ads__slot\">\n<div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-818116821923\" class=\"freestar-ads\" data-google-query-id=\"CIG0jteN8P0CFT_2EQgdxxwBbA\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/15184186,5287\/aljazeera_incontent_3_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite outbursts of violence, Iraqis voted for their first, full-term government in 2005, giving the Shia majority control of parliament. Under the governing system adopted after the introduction of a new constitution in 2005, the prime minister was a member of the Shia Muslim majority, the speaker a Sunni, and the largely ceremonial role of president was held by a Kurd.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fluid-vids\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"youtube-player-1\" class=\"youtube-player pause-controller in-content\" title=\"Legacy of the Iraq War | Between Us\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9Kp1n8kR-tE?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The first prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who dominated Iraqi politics for years, had close ties to Tehran and links to armed militias. His government was in power during an era of sectarian and authoritarian policies.<\/p>\n<p>The failure of successive governments to strike an accord with Iraq\u2019s Sunni population and the presence of corrupt and ineffective state institutions were key factors in the rise of sectarian violence across the country. Sunni rebellions intensified in Anbar and Fallujah as violence by followers of Shia religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr surged in the south.<\/p>\n<p>Some suggest that a heavy-handed security response in Sunni areas radicalised many in the community, some of whom then supported ISIL. Others say that some Sunni could never accept that they no longer dominated Iraq as they did under Saddam.<\/p>\n<p>ISIL strengthened its grip as the withdrawal of US troops in 2011 left a security void in the region. It eventually declared a so-called \u201ccaliphate\u201d over large swaths of the country in 2014, before being largely defeated by 2017 after a gruelling military campaign, once again involving the US.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_721215\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-721215\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-721215\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/201332412048381734_20.jpeg?w=680&amp;resize=680%2C450&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"iraq\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-721215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">US Secretary of State John Kerry meets Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, March 24, 2013 [File: Jason Reed\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Uncertainty prevails<\/h3>\n<p>In October 2019,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2019\/10\/26\/several-killed-in-iraq-as-anti-government-protests-continue\">the largest protest movemen<\/a>t in post-2003 Iraq unseated the government and forced parliament to adopt a new electoral law. Security forces and paramilitary groups killed more than 600 protesters during the uprising and have continued to target activists since then.<\/p>\n<p>The unprecedented protests, which lasted for months until the introduction of coronavirus restrictions in October 2020, came in response to the repression of dissent by successive governments and the control of paramilitaries linked to political parties that have discouraged reform and increased risks of civil strife.<\/p>\n<p>However, in today\u2019s Iraq, the government is formed by a coalition that obtained less than 15 percent of the electorate vote. To many Iraqis who joined the protests, it represents an alliance of self-serving political groups and armed factions that have restricted civil liberties.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\">\n<div class=\"ads__slot\">\n<div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-439207684446\" class=\"freestar-ads\" data-google-query-id=\"CMOEtdmN8P0CFZQn4Aod2yABVw\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/15184186,5287\/aljazeera_incontent_4_0__container__\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That has led many Iraqis to support Shia leader al-Sadr, a self-declared Iraqi nationalist, whose forces have been accused of carrying out some of the worst violence in the post-2003 Iraqi civil war.<\/p>\n<p>Violence between his supporters and rival Shia factions last August left 30 dead and made it clear that, despite the strides Iraq has made, it remains inherently unstable, two decades on from the invasion that was meant to usher in a new era.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1873240\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1873240\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-1873240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/AP22271556022146.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C498&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"iraq protests\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1873240\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Security forces fire tear gas during a demonstration in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq on September 28, 2022 [File: Hadi Mizban\/AP Photo]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-source\">SOURCE:\u00a0AL JAZEERA<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News|The Iraq War: 20 years on 20 years on, was removing Saddam Hussein worth the war in Iraq? &nbsp; Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the effects of war and occupation still reverberate through the region. he United States led a coalition that invaded Iraq, and then began a years-long occupation of the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2978\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawtoroba.com\/Eng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}