What happens in a country after a U.S. invasion? (1- Iraq)

Published at: 21/11/2025 06:10 PM

Under the false excuse that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, on March 20, 2003, the United States, under the presidency of George W. Bush, began a bombing of Baghdad whose real objective was to take control of the world's fifth oil reserve. But this story didn't start there.

Saddam Hussein came to power in 1979 and turned Iraq into one of the most prosperous countries in the Middle East, modernized education, boosted the oil industry, built hospitals, roads and schools when much of the Arab world was mired in a social crisis.

He also ruled with an iron fist, a behavior that was supported by the West, which for years armed him and used him as a barrier against Iran, until he stopped serving him. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait for reasons associated with disputes over a series of oil wells located on the border between the two countries and from there, the United States became their enemy, starting with sanctions, propaganda against the country and accusations of possessing weapons of mass destruction, which gave way to the invasion.

After the invasion in March 2003, Bush described it as a “mission to liberate the Iraqi people and eradicate weapons of mass destruction.” Hussein's government was overthrown in 26 days. Two years later, the chief weapons inspector of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), David Kay, reported that arsenals of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons were never found.

For Iraqis, the trauma of subsequent violence is undeniable: according to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, an estimated 300,000 Iraqis died between 2003 and 2023, as did more than 8,000 American military, contractors and civilians. The period was marked by unemployment, displacement, sectarian violence and terrorism, combined with years without reliable electricity or other public services.

The war broke what had been a unified state in the heart of the Arab world, created a power vacuum and left Iraq, rich in oil, like a wounded nation in the Middle East, vulnerable to a power struggle between Iran, the Arab States of the Gulf, the United States, terrorist groups and the sects and rival parties of the country.

What seemed like a quick victory for US-led forces was illusory: the greatest loss of life occurred in the months and years that followed. The occupation fueled tenacious guerrilla resistance, bloody struggles for control of the countryside and cities, a protracted civil war and the rise of the Islamic State group, which sowed terror beyond Iraq and Syria, across the Middle East , Africa, Asia and Europe.

The long and costly experience in Iraq highlighted the limitations of America's ability to export democracy but, at least temporarily, moderated Washington's approach to foreign relations.

In Iraq, its democracy has not yet been defined. The latent conflict involves Kurdish fighters, Iraqi army troops and some 2,500 U.S. military advisors who are still in the country.

“After the fall of the president, Iraqis expected that the change of their authoritarian regime would lead to a new state, based on democracy and the equitable distribution of wealth,” an Iraqi academic, told the news outlet Anadolu, on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisals, who added that “we had high hopes that the U.S. administration would fulfill its promises to establish a democratic system as an alternative to Hussein's 35 years of rule.”

After two decades, the reality is that the political process is marked by “corruption, sectarian quotas and the distribution of resources between influential powers and most Iraqis live with poor services, uncontrolled weapons and organized crime gangs,” said the academic.

In the same way, journalist Wissam Al-Mulla also told Anadolu that “according to statistics from the Iraqi Ministry of Planning in early 2023. Poverty affects 25% of the total population of Iraq, which exceeds 42 million people, and the most significant repercussions of the U.S. invasion are the state of shock experienced by the Iraqi streets due to the situation in the country.”

Al-Mulla added that “after 20 years, we aim to overthrow the ruling political class and achieve a change that will lead to a genuinely democratic system similar to those of the world's civilized countries.”

Iraq is the world's fifth largest oil reserve, and despite its vast wealth and significant revenues from oil exports, the country is struggling to meet the basic energy needs of its population. The severe shortage of energy supply has left many homes with just a few hours of electricity a day and without access to drinking water.

Today, after twenty years of war, the promise of being a prosperous and democratic country has not yet materialized. The legacy of the US-led war has been characterized by political instability, sectarian violence, corruption, and the inability to establish a sustainable and responsible government.

A transparent and responsible system has not yet been established, leaving the Iraqi people in a permanent struggle to rebuild and establish a functioning democracy.

The lack of security and political stability not only devastated the country's economy, infrastructure and social fabric, but also prevented Iraq from attracting significant foreign investment, condemning its citizens to a sustained silent war that impedes the normal development of daily life.

AMELYREN BASABE/Mazo News Team