The Lingering Impact of the Iraq War: Chaos, Confusion, and a Search for Homeland.
TL;DR
As the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq approaches, the high toll of the conflict is still being calculated, with as many as 210,038 Iraqi civilians and 4,599 U.S. troops killed. Iraqis had warned of chaos and danger from any regime change, and scenes from early 2003 showed people afraid of their country's dictator and of his sudden downfall. The invasion was marked by poor U.S. planning, tragically wrong assumptions, and misleading claims about alleged chemical weapons stockpiles. The country descended into civil war between Sunni and Shia factions, and foreign troops were unable to keep the peace or nation-build in a country that didn't want to be occupied.
- Iraqis warned of chaos before U.S. invasion in 2003 NPR
- Iraq War Veterans, 20 Years Later: 'I Don't Know How to Explain the War to Myself' | Op-Docs The New York Times
- The Iraq War 20 years later: Delta Force operators recall hunting Saddam Hussein Fox News
- Why the Iraq War brought corruption, not democracy, to Iraq MSNBC
- Why Iraqis are still searching for a 'homeland' 20 years after US invasion Middle East Eye
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