Iraq war 20 years on: How invasion plunged country into decades of chaos

[bronxiteforever]

By Jeremy Bowen
BBC News
3/20/2022

The invasion of March 2003 was a catastrophe for Iraq and its people… It is a grim irony that the invasion has dropped out of political and public debate in the US, which conceived and led it, and in the UK, its closest ally in the coalition. The Americans and British bear a heavy responsibility for what happened after the invasion, and its consequences also affect them.

…No president or prime minister faces a bigger decision than going to war. George Bush and Tony Blair embarked on a war of choice that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The justifications for the invasion were soon shown to be untrue. The weapons of mass destruction that Tony Blair insisted, eloquently, made Saddam a clear and present danger, turned out not to exist. It was a failure not just of intelligence but of leadership.

…. The geopolitical legacy of the invasion is still shaping events. Unwittingly, the Americans turned the balance of power in Iraq in Iran's favour by overthrowing Saddam Hussein, who was considered a Sunni bulwark against the Islamic Republic. Removing him empowered Shia politicians who were close to Tehran. Militias armed and trained by Iran are among the most powerful forces in Iraq and have representatives in government.

Disorder in Iraq, where the population is growing fast, fuels the trade in people-smuggling to Europe. According to the British Home Office, Iraqis are the fourth largest national group crossing the English Channel in small boats…American and British leaders do not dwell on the invasion these days, but others have not forgotten. One reason why much of the global south stayed neutral after Russia invaded Ukraine, ignoring appeals to uphold international law, was the memory of how the US, the UK and Western allies who joined the coalition ignored it as they steamrollered opposition to their invasion of Iraq.

Long, detailed article-more here.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64976144

[sanatanadharma]

1. PNAC, never forget the group, men, plans, and hubris ...

The great plans of the Progress for a New American Century failed because those involved were too self-righteous to foresee or believe that unexpected results might follow their criminal invasion of Iraq.

Those individuals chose poorly; they will are or will be "re-educated" in camps named hell.