Iraq War

Americans Still Fumble in the Dark for Facts on Torture

by Karen J. Greenberg

The persistent efforts of scholars and human rights advocates are chipping away at the secrecy surrouding America's use of torture under the banner of national security in the War on Terror. 

From "Shell Shock" to PTSD, Veterans Have a Long Walk to Health

by Charles Glass

Iraq War veteran Will Robinson brought himself out of a mental health crisis by hiking more than 11,000 miles of trail from the Pacific Crest to the Appalachian, following the century-old prescription of British military doctor Arthur Brock. 

No Blood for Oil: Examining the Movement Against the Iraq War

by Charles F. Howlett

David Cortright's history of the opposition to the Iraq War places the peace movement in the context of the underacknowledged peace movements of the American past. 

What Iraq Should Teach Advocates of Foreign Policy Restraint

by Joseph Stieb

Many advocates of a less assertive role for United States power in the world point to Iraq as an example of the folly of intervention. But if they want to make their views a reality, they need to understand why pro-war arguments succeeded by offering a solution to Americans' post-9/11 fears and anxieties. 

The 2003 Iraq Invasion Was the Culmination of a Long Betrayal

by Noah Kulwin

Although the UK backed the US invasion of Iraq, that nation had been supplying weapons to Saddam Hussein since the 1980s to advance anti-Iranian policy in the middle east. Before the invasion, the government worked to cover those tracks. 

Iraq Discredited Liberal Interventionists. Why are they Still in Charge?

by Daniel Bessner

"War for oil" explains only part of the push to invade Iraq in 2003; the ideological belief that American militarism serves a noble and righteous cause appealed to many liberals. That general belief has been frustratingly immune to 20 years of exposure of facts about the falsehoods that sold the war. 

A Known and Unknown War

by Michael Brenes

"Time and distance are essential to the historian’s craft. They help us pursue the false promise of objectivity. I should embrace them when thinking about the Iraq War, but I don’t."

An American Witness to the European Movement Against the Iraq Invasion

by Brian Sandberg

The European Social Forum, held in Florence in November 2002, didn't stop the US invasion of Iraq. But it did usher in an era of pan-european civic action that remains powerful today. 

We're Living in the World (un)Made by the Iraq War

Three New Yorker writers look at the impact of the Iraq invasion, from the rise of Trump to the collapse of public trust in experts and authority. 

Aside from Bush and Cheney, Who's Most Responsible for Iraq?

Historians, journalists, and international relations scholars assess whether lesser-known figures in government, media and intelligence deserve more blame for the Iraq invasion. 

How One News Desk Got Iraq Right When Others Failed

by John Walcott

The former head of Knight-Ridder's national security desk explains how his agency passed by the agency bigshots, interviewed experts and analysts closer to the intelligence, and followed up on red flags that others missed in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, instead of protecting their access to the administration. 

Iraq's Militarized Politics Keep the Country in Turmoil

by Simona Foltyn

Sectarian divisions and easy access to weapons have ensured that force remains a determinative factor in Iraqi politics.   

20 Years Later, a Massive Effort to Forget the Runup to Iraq Invasion

by Stephen Wertheim

The impulse for American leaders to forget about Iraq and move on reveals the pathologies of American primacy in world affairs. 

America Broke Iraq, and Itself

by Thanassis Cambanis

"The U.S. occupation of Iraq normalized torture, impunity, manipulation of intelligence, and a new level of official mendacity."

Iraq War at 20: What the Neocons Got Wrong

by Max Boot

"I desperately wanted to believe that spreading freedom could solve the security dilemmas confronting the United States—that by doing good in the world, it could also serve its national security interests."

20 Years Later, What is the Cultural Imprint of the Iraq War?

The US war against Vietnam sparked a broad array of artistic responses, and more importantly became a litmus test for a future generation of leaders. Despite disagreements about the invasion and its serious consequences for the Middle East, the war seems to have left no trace on the West. 

20 Years After Iraq Invasion, Need for Dissenting Perspectives is Clear

by Matthew Duss

A left foreign policy analyst argues that labeling opposition to Ukraine's NATO membership as "pro-Putin" echoes the worst moves of the runup to the Iraq war, and that good policy grows from open discussion. 

Why We Went to War on Iraq

by Melvyn P. Leffler`

One foreign policy historian argues that the decision to invade Iraq was made out of genuine concern for thwarting attacks on Americans and preserving the United States' ability to use military power in the Middle East. 

Why Powell's UN Speech Was So Crucial (and Bad)

by Greg Mitchell

Colin Powell's 2003 speech to the United Nations was short on evidence for Saddam Hussein's WMD program, but he put down his reputation as collateral, changing history for the worse.

Colin Powell Dies at 84; Career of Military and Diplomatic Leadership Featured Controversial Support for Iraq Invasion

“I’m the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world,” Mr. Powell said, acknowledging that his presentation “will always be a part of my record.”