Departments

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Iraq War

  • SOURCE: The Century Foundation
    3/7/2023

    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."

  • SOURCE: Foreign Affairs
    3/10/2023

    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."

  • SOURCE: Financial Times
    3/7/2023

    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. 

  • SOURCE: The Atlantic
    1/23/2023

    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. 

  • SOURCE: Substack
    10/18/2021

    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.

  • SOURCE: The Atlantic
    9/8/2021

    After 9/11, the U.S. Got Almost Everything Wrong

    by Garrett M. Graff

    "The events of September 11, 2001, became the hinge on which all of recent American history would turn, rewriting global alliances, reorganizing the U.S. government, and even changing the feel of daily life."

  • SOURCE: TomDispatch
    8/3/2021

    Moral Injury and the Forever Wars

    by Kelly Denton-Borhaug

    "Andy’s story clarifies a reality Americans badly need to grasp: the destruction of war goes far beyond its intended targets. In the end, its violence is impossible to control."

  • SOURCE: Boston Globe
    5/27/2021

    My Son Was Killed In Iraq 14 Years Ago — Who’s Responsible?

    by Andrew Bacevich

    "Even today, the electorate shows little inclination to rethink the core assumptions informing basic US national security policy. Supporting the troops means suppressing second thoughts, asking few questions, and shoveling more money to the Pentagon."

  • SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
    5/20/2021

    What Liberal Comparisons between Bush-Cheney and Trump Get Wrong

    by Joseph Stieb

    Liberal critics of Liz Cheney have suggested she's a hypocrite, blasting Trump's "Big Lie" while having championed the deceptions that led to the Iraq War. This is an imperfect comparison, which ignores the real lessons of Iraq – that fixing the fact-finding process to fit a policy is a common and continuing danger. 

  • SOURCE: Texas Monthly
    9/20/2020

    Are We Ready to Rehabilitate George W. Bush’s Reputation?

    by Andrew R. Graybill

    The presidency of Donald Trump has allowed supporters of George W. Bush to push for a reevaluation of a man who left office with historically high unfavorability ratings. A SMU professor digs into recent books by way of evaluating whether Dubya will get a raw deal from history.

  • SOURCE: War on the Rocks
    9/1/2020

    Opening Up New Avenues to Understanding the Path to War in Iraq

    by Joseph Stieb

    National security historian Joseph Stieb reviews journalist Robert Draper's account of the drive to war against Iraq in 2003, concluding that Draper explains how the principals built a case for war out of selectively embroidered intelligence, but not why war appeared as a positive option or much of the American political establishment got on board. 

  • SOURCE: Vox
    8/27/2020

    Those who Like Government Least Govern Worst

    Both George W. Bush and Donald Trump represent a Republican Party soaked in contempt for, and mistrust of, the federal government. When you don’t respect, or even like, the institution you lead, you lead it poorly. When that institution is incredibly, globally important — as the US government is — leading it poorly can invite global catastrophe.

  • SOURCE: New York Times
    8/12/2020

    Regrets? Even Brent Scowcroft Had a Few

    In an oral history released after his death, the former national security adviser revealed a few key moments in which his ideas failed in the war against Saddam Hussein.    

  • SOURCE: The New Republic
    8/4/2020

    The Never Trumpers Have Already Won

    by Samuel Moyn

    Never Trump's historic role turns out to be not among Republicans so far, but within a Democratic Party whose members have chosen to convert enemies into friends, setting up a guardrail against the capture of their party by the left.

  • SOURCE: TomDispatch
    8/2/2020

    Missing in Action: Accountability Is Gone in America

    by Karen J. Greenberg

    A crucial part of the history of the neoconservative invasion of Iraq and the use of torture in the War on Terror is the utter lack of accountability or consequence for the people who made those decisions.