1 of 4 George W. Bush during a famous speech declaring the Iraq mission “done” in May 2003 — Photo: Getty Images via BBC George W. Bush during a famous speech in May 2003 declaring the Iraq mission declared ‘complete’ — Photo: Getty Images via BBC
It has been 20 years since the USled coalition invaded Iraq, an event that unleashed violent instability that is still being felt not only within the country but throughout the Middle East.
However, the controversial military operation that began on March 20, 2003 and quickly subjugated Saddam Hussein’s regime was followed by a long struggle against the insurgency and a political polarization that continues to this day.
Hussein evaded capture for almost nine months before being arrested in December 2003 and executed by the new Iraqi government three years later.
What happened to the protagonists of a war that still sparks heated debates today?
2 of 4 Hussein survived the first Gulf War but did not invade his country in 2003 — Photo: Getty Images via BBC Hussein survived the first Gulf War but did not invade his country in 2003 — Photo: Getty Images via BBC
Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with an iron fist from 1979 to 2003, despite his resounding defeat by USled coalition forces during the 1991 Gulf War, which failed to overthrow him but forced him to withdraw from neighboring Kuwait he had occupied in August of the previous year.
But with the March 2003 invasion, his army collapsed within three weeks. Hussein went into hiding until he was captured by the Americans on December 13 of the same year.
He was executed by hanging in Baghdad in 2006. Iraqi state television showed footage of Saddam being hanged before dawn in a building used by his intelligence services for executions.
In a final act of defiance, he refused to wear a hood to the gallows.
3 of 4 George W. Bush has retired from public life since leaving the presidency in 2009 and is now dedicated to painting — Photo: Getty Images via BBC George W. Bush has retired from public life since leaving the presidency in 2009 retired and now devotes himself entirely to painting for painting — Photo: Getty Images via BBC
In 2003, George W. Bush became the second US President to start a war against Iraq, following in the footsteps of his own father George Bush, who held the White House from 1989 to 1993.
In the weeks after September 11, 2001, Bush achieved the highest approval ratings ever recorded for a US president (91% according to a Gallup poll).
However, his handling of the Iraq war particularly the deaths of more than 4,400 American soldiers, according to the US Department of Defense led to Bush ending his tenure as the least popular White House resident in history in 2009.
After leaving office, the 75yearold Bush has kept a low profile, but in his few media appearances has defended his decision to invade Iraq.
“Some figures in the Bush administration constantly struggled to say that despite the mistakes (the alleged weapons of mass destruction were never found), the Iraq war was the right thing to do,” said American journalist Thomas E. Ricks, author of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in the Iraq”.
Bush used to argue that overthrowing Hussein was part of that logic. But Ricks, who covered the invasion of Iraq, isn’t convinced.
“That kind of justification doesn’t speak to the enormous cost of the war, for both Iraqis and Americans. Nor does it address how the US invasion changed the Middle East,” Ricks points out.
Bush limited himself to public appearances at state events such as inaugurations and presidential funerals.
Today he spends most of his time at his ranch in Texas, where he pursues his hobbies, including painting. In 2021 he published his own portrait book.
Dick Cheney
4 of 4 Despite his advanced age, Dick Cheney remains relatively active in American politics — Photo: Getty Images via BBC Despite his advanced age, Dick Cheney remains relatively active in American politics — Photo: Getty Images via BBC
The former vice president of George W. Bush was a strong supporter of military action against Iraq and has made numerous public statements accusing Saddam Hussein’s regime of possessing weapons of mass destruction, a claim the United States used to justify the invasion.
As Iraq was rocked by sectarian strife in 2006, Cheney was himself embroiled in bloodshed when he accidentally shot a friend while they were hunting together, injuring his face, neck and chest.
Harry Whittington suffered a mild heart attack but survived.
“It’s not Harry’s fault,” Cheney told Fox at the time. “Ultimately, I was the one who pulled the trigger.”
At 82, Cheney has taken a radically different stance from Bush since stepping down as Vice President.
In this sense, he has taken positions on various political issues and even participated in election events.
He also openly criticized thenPresident Donald Trump for the January 2021 invasion of the Capitol carried out by his supporters.
Cheney was portrayed by a “transformed” Christian Bale in the 2018 satirical film “Vice,” which became the second production to portray the Bush administration, following Oliver Stone’s 2008 presidential biopic “W.”
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld was Bush’s Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 and played a crucial and controversial role in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Among other things, he was accused of providing “alternative intelligence advice” to support Hussein’s invasion and overthrow, while ignoring allegations that US forces had tortured prisoners of war.
Rumsfeld resigned in 2006 amid growing public and political opposition in the US to his administration of postwar Iraq.
He hasn’t shied away from the spotlight: he’s published an autobiography, worked on a documentary about his career and joined other former defense secretaries in warning thenPresident Donald Trump not to ignore the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Rumsfeld died of cancer in June 2021.
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice has returned to the teaching world after stepping down as secretary of state, despite rumors of her possible return to politics.
She served as national security adviser and then secretary of state (a position equivalent to secretary of state in Brazil) during Bush’s eightyear tenure, becoming the first black woman to hold those positions in the history of the United States government.
In addition to supporting the Iraq war, Rice has appeared frequently in the US media to warn of the threat posed by the Hussein regime. She even told CNN that the Iraqi leader could quickly acquire nuclear weapons.
Following Bush’s departure from the White House, Rice resumed her academic career at Stanford University and is director of the Hoover Institution research center.
However, there have been rumors in the past about his possible return to politics.
Paul Bremener
Paul Bremer was appointed acting coalition administrator in Iraq by President Bush in May 2003, making him the country’s most senior civilian official.
His decision to disband the Iraqi army was widely criticized and he faced allegations of embezzlement in the reconstruction effort.
Bremer, now 81, lives a quiet life in rural Vermont.
In 2018, his name reappeared in the US media when it was revealed that he worked as a ski instructor in a tourist resort.
Colin Powell
General Colin Powell was Secretary of State at the time of the invasion of Iraq and was the first black person to hold the office. During the first Gulf War he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Unlike other members of the Bush cabinet, Powell was initially opposed to plans to invade Iraq.
However, in February 2003 he turned to the UN to defend the military intervention, even providing evidence that the Hussein regime was hiding weapons of mass destruction.
The general resigned in 2004 after admitting before Congress that intelligence data released a year earlier was “inaccurate” and falling out of favor with the Bush administration.
He pursued a career as a public speaker and broke with the Republicans in the 2008 presidential election to endorse Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
In 2021, Powell died of complications from Covid19 at the age of 84.
Tony Blair
The reputation of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has probably suffered more from the Iraq war than that of George W. Bush.
Blair was heavily criticized in the official inquiry into the conflict, which concluded in 2016 that he had exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s weapons program.
He was also accused of sending illprepared troops to Iraq and having “completely inadequate” plans for the aftermath of the invasion.
Blair, 69, resigned in 2007 and since then has devoted himself primarily to his NGO, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. But Iraq continues to overshadow its legacy: in January last year, more than 500,000 people signed a petition demanding that the British government not give the Labor politician the title of ‘sir’, an honor given by the British government.
Hans Blix
Hans Blix, former head of the UN inspectors, is a thorn in the side of Washington’s plans.
The Swedish diplomat and politician headed the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, which investigated the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion in 2003.
Blix currently lives in Stockholm and continues to take an active part in international security policy debates.
And at the age of 94 he is about to publish a new book, Farewell to Wars.
Ali Hasan alMajid or “Ali the Chemist”
Former Iraqi military commander Ali Hasan alMajid was nicknamed “Ali the Chemist” for his alleged role in the poison gas attacks carried out by Hussein’s army against Kurdish rebels after the first Gulf War. It is estimated that thousands of people died in these events.
AlMajid was arrested by US forces in August 2003 and charged with genocide and crimes against humanity.
In January 2010 he was executed by hanging.
Muhammad Saeed alSahhaf or “Ali the Comedian”
At the time of the invasion, Muhammad Saeed alSahhaf was Iraq’s Minister of Information and soon earned the humorous nickname “Ali the Comedian” by Western media due to his colorful daily press conferences in which he presented a very distorted view… of the situation in the area.
AlSahhaf even repeatedly assured that the US forces would be defeated, even though the Iraqi army was completely crushed.
His whereabouts are currently unknown. However, he is said to have fled to the United Arab Emirates.
Moqtada alSadr
The Shia cleric rose to prominence after the US invasion, when his powerful militia, the Mehdi Army, fought foreign troops and was accused of commanding sectarian “death squads.”
Since then he has presented himself as a nationalist and activist in the fight against corruption and has become a political reference figure in the country.
His Saroun coalition won the most seats in the 2018 and 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections.
Nuri alMaliki
In 2006, Nuri alMaliki took over as Iraq’s prime minister, the first since Hussein was overthrown.
Critics accused him of alienating Sunni and Kurdish politicians, and his resignation was called for as early as 2007.
AlMaliki only resigned in 2014 after a series of defeats in the fight against the extremist group Islamic State.
Ayatollah Ali alSistani
As the top Shia cleric in Iraq, Ali alSistani has played a key role in Iraqi politics and religion since the invasion. Unlike alSadr, he preferred political pressure to insurgency.
At 92, AlSistani remains a highly influential figure in Iraq.
Muntadar alZaidi
The Iraqi journalist achieved international fame in December 2008 when he threw his shoes at Bush at a press conference in Baghdad on the occasion of his last trip to Iraq as a resident of the White House.
“That’s a kiss goodbye from the Iraqi people, dog,” cried Al Zaidi as he threw the first shoe.
The journalist served six months in prison, during which he says he was tortured, and after his release went to Lebanon.
AlZaidi later returned to Iraq and unsuccessfully attempted to be elected as an MP in the country’s 2018 general election.
“This scene is proof that one day a simple man was able to say ‘no’ to this arrogant person with all his power, tyranny, guns, media, money and authority,” he recently told Portal .